


Where the Land Meets the Sea

by mrgoldsdearie



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Comedy, Each Chapter Will Be Tagged for Content, Fluff, M/M, Marine Biologist Edward Nygma, Mermaid Oswald Cobblepot, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Mythical Creature, Older Man/Younger Man, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, This Fic Will Include Mermaid and Human Sex, implied break up sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-05-28 13:54:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 29,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15050582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrgoldsdearie/pseuds/mrgoldsdearie
Summary: Nygmobblepot Mermaid AU—Dr. Edward Nygma is a marine biologist whose unexpectedly charmed by an attractive older man he met in the middle of the ocean. He comes to learn later that there is more to this man than he could have ever imagined being real.





	1. The Man Who Stares from the Middle of the Sea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [my_chemical_romanoff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_chemical_romanoff/gifts).



> I wrote this faster than I imaged and I didn't plan anything out. Everything I wrote was a spur of the moment kind of thing, but I think I've set up an interesting plot that I've never done before. I just hope I can pull it off. I’m really loving Merpapa. He came out quite unique and different than what I had imaged when I started this thing. He has a few quirks that are just so fun and cute. I can't wait to start exploring his world. Please, if you like this story, like, reblog, or comment. I would love to hear what you think about it. Happy reading!

## Part One: The Man Who Stares from the Middle of the Sea

The Gotham marine biology team isn’t really large, only consisting of two scientists and a few interns from the university, but they take pride in preserving and studying marine life and protecting the ocean from overfishing. It’s a huge job for a small group of people, but they manage the task quite well.

Today is a typical day for Dr. Edward Nygma and his group of students, a day to head to the ocean and observe the life of the local shellfish in their natural habitat. They scour along the rocky edge of the beach taking samples and scribbling down notes to document their findings.  

“Dr. Nygma, I think I found a new species of crab,” Ivy Pepper says. She’s been studying under Edward for extra credit for almost a year and has never seen this particular crustacean before.

Edward picks up his bucket of specimens and climbs over the boulder to meet Ivy on the other side of the rock. “Now, now, Ivy.” One look at the animal and he can tell exactly what species it is. “He isn’t anything new, and he definitely shouldn’t be here.”

“Why is that?” She asks.

“Because he’s a Hanasaki crab and he somehow swam his way here all the way from Japan.”

“That’s impossible,” she giggles, immediately catching onto the doctor’s joke.

“You’re absolutely right,” Edward chuckles. “This spiny bastard was most likely freed by someone who saw him in a tank and ordered him at a restaurant.”

“Well, this isn’t quite the right environment for him.”

“You’re right again.” He puts down his bucket of clams and picks up Ivy’s empty one. “Help me scoop him into the bucket.” He holds the pale down near the crab.

“What are we going to do with him?” She picks up a rock and starts easing the crab into the bucket. Its shell is covered in hundreds of little spikes, and touching it with her hands is the last thing she wants to do.

“Keep him in the tank at the lab, of course.” Edward scoops up the bucket and the crab falls to the bottom. “Oops. Sorry for the rough fall there, Jim.”

“Jim?” She says with confusion painted on her features.

“Yes.” He nods. “James Gordon, actually. We can’t have a mascot without a name.”

“But why Jim?”

“Because he doesn’t look like a Harvey,” he says with a sly grin and pats Ivy on the back as they return to continuing their work.

Just several yards out into the ocean, another beach dweller watches the doctor and his students from afar. He crouches down behind a rock, trying his best to conceal the fact that he’s there. The last thing he wants is for the group to notice him, but he can’t keep his eye off of the tall, lanky, man in the glasses. This isn’t the first time he’s watched Edward and has even contemplated introducing himself, but he isn’t quite sure if Edward would be tolerant of his differences.

Edward looks at the horizon and noticed the rather handsome, older, man hiding behind the rock. He’s actually noticed him all day watching the group, more particularly himself. He doesn’t think the man is threatening, but the way he stares at Edward does raise some questions. He instructs his students to finish their work while he takes a quick dive into the ocean to collect some seaweed samples. However, that was just a little white lie he told the students. He’s actually planning to try to sneak up on the mysterious older man without him noticing.

The man ducks down behind the rock again when he saw the doctor looking out into the water. He holds his hand over his hammering heart, hoping Edward didn’t see him staring.

Edward moves quickly in the belly high water when the man hides behind his rock again. Once he’s close, he peeks around the rock and sees that the man has caught an animal and is helping it by picking off seaweed caught in its fin, strange that he’s holding it only by its vibrant colored fin. Edward has never seen a fish with a tail that has a multitude of shades of purple scales.  

“Hey,” Edward spoke softly, not to scare off the man’s oceanic friend.

The man gasps and the animal’s tail disappears under the water, but Edward never sees the fish swim away. He turns to the doctor and he gasps again, large green eyes widening at the sight.

“I’m sorry,” Edward apologizes. “I didn’t mean to alarm you, but are you alright, sir? I’ve noticed you staring.”

The man opens his mouth but no words follow, only soft breathy sounds.

“Sir, are you alright?” He asks again, concern in his voice.

The older man gulped and ran his hand through his wet, silvery, hair. He slightly shakes his head as if he’s searching his mind for the right words. “Uh...I—I am…” His voice is small and breathy as he speaks slowly. It seems as though English isn’t his first language. “F-fine… I am fine!” He says a little louder than he had expected.

[[X]](http://askoswaldandedward.tumblr.com/post/175061790816/merman-papa-bird-admiring-eddie-from-afar-too)

“Are you sure?” Edward asks.

He slowly nods his head yes.

“I guess I’m going to have to take your word for it.” He says with a kind smile lighting his face. “You’ve been watching me and my group for a while. Would you like to join us? It’s better than being out here alone.”

The man tipped his head, gazing at Edward curiously. “I—I am n-not alone. I am h-here with you!”

Edward chuckles, “Well, you’re here with me now. You  _were_  alone.”  

The older man’s pudgy cheeks begin to blush a soft pink tinge. “I m-make you laugh?”

“Yes,” Edward answers honestly. “I don’t know what it is, and we’ve only been talking a little over a minute, but I find you quite endearing. I never feel that way about people I first meet, especially someone I’ve met out in the middle of the ocean.”

The mysterious man giggles, covering his toothy grin with his hand.

Edward smiles. He can’t help but think the way the older man quickly dissolving into giggles was delightful. “Hey, I’m Edward Nygma, by the way. I’m a marine biologist. That’s why me and the group are out here.” He extends his hand to shake the other man’s. “What’s your name?”

“Oh!” He looks down at Edward’s hand, then swiftly bends down, dipping his head underneath the water and swings back up, pulling out a round smooth rock he found in the sand. He plops it in Edward’s hand and smiles at the young man very pleased, brushing his hair back out of his face. “Th-there is no word for m-my name in your language,” he finally replies to Edward’s question.  

Edward gawks at the rock, utterly confused. Not only puzzled by the rock itself, but also by the sentence he’s just heard. How could there be no word for someone’s name?

“Dr. Nygma!” Ivy calls out. “Jim just pinched Alex with his claw! We need the first aid kit!”

“Oh, shit,” Edward huffed under his breath.

“Sh-shit?” The man repeated.

Edward pops his head out from around the bolder. “I’m coming!” He yells to the students on the shore, then turns his attention back to the older gentlemen. “I gotta go, but you should really join us on the shore.” With the round ocean rock still in hand, Edward starts to head back to the shore. He stops to look back and see if the man is following, but he was gone. “Hey… Hey, guy!” Edward calls in search of him, but he receives no answer. It’s was like the charming man vanished out into the ocean.

After looking all around and seeing no one in sight, Edward puts the rock into the pocket of his swim trunks and quickly swims to the shore to help the student.

## *  
*  
*

Since meeting the beautiful man in the ocean, Edward has been enchanted by him. The man has been the first thing Edward thinks about in the morning and the last thing when he closes his eyes to sleep. It isn’t like him to constantly think about someone he’s only had a brief encounter with, but talking to the man felt so natural to Edward and he felt as though they had been friends for years. It’s been a few days since the day they met and not knowing his name has been driving him up the wall. He knows it’s a longshot to go out looking for him, but Edward can no longer fight the strong feelings that are pulling him back to that beach.

## *  
*  
*

It’s an unusually warm day in Gotham as Edward walks down the beach a mile from where he parked his car. He’s come to this beach every day for the past three days with no luck in finding the man. Today he’s hoping to end his search.

Edward doesn’t know much— or anything at all— about the man he’s seeking, but he has an idea that he would be somewhere where there aren’t any people. Something about him gave Edward the sense that he might be shy.

After walking another mile, Edward is starting to think about giving up his search. He hasn't seen anyone except a single motorboat that blazed by. What a stupid idea to think he could find the same person on the same beach.

As he gets closer to the large rock he mentally set as his goal to turn around, Edward suddenly sees a pair of hand stretch out from behind it, which is immediately followed by a roaring yawn.

Edward takes in a sharp breath and his eyes sparkle with wonder. Could this be the man who has captivated him? Is his long search finally over? He starts to walk a little faster, his mind buzzing with all the things he wants to ask.

When Edward gets to the other side of the rock, he’s taken aback— not in a bad way— at the sight before him. He quickly covers his mouth to muffle his gasp of surprise.

Sprawled out, resting comfortably on the white sand beach as the gentle waves of the ocean roll back and forth, is the man Edward Nygma has been searching for. He’s more than just a man; he’s a creature of the sea. A real-life merman lays down at Edward’s feet.

Being a man of science, Edward is fascinated by the view. The merman has the most beautiful scale coloration he has ever seen. The way the myriad of purple hues glistens under the sun and sparkles in the clear water’s reflection was extremely desirable. Only now does Edward come to realize what really happened the other day, this man wasn’t trying to help another fish free from the seaweed; he was cleaning himself of the ocean foliage.

Edward carefully sits down by the mythical ocean being, trying his best not to startle him.  He slowly removes his hands from his lips, smiling enthusiastically to be sitting so close to an actual mermaid.

He watches the fish man’s chest rise and fall, wondering if it does the same when he’s submerged underwater. Edward takes in every physical detail, from the way his eyes moves behind closed lids to the way his nostrils flare when he takes in a breath. Everything about him is more beautiful than he originally imagined.

After quietly observing, Edward finally decided to make his presences known. “Hey you,” he whispers, hoping not to scare him away.

With his eyes still closed, the merman moans softly and turns his head towards the sound of Edward’s voice.

“Hey, sleepyhead, wake up.” He lays a hand on his shoulder.

The merman opens his eyes, shocked to find the gentle smile of Edward gazing down at him. Having never been awaken by a human before, this is the scariest thing that has ever happened to him. With little to do to protect himself, the merman does the only thing he can. As a bristling hiss emits from the back of his throat, he quickly sits up from the sandy beach to make his escape.  

The sudden banshee-like screech stuns Edward and he flinches at the high pitched sound.

The merman flips himself over on his round belly and desperately pulls himself to the water.

“No, please don’t go!” Edward crawls after him once he quickly regains his bearings. “I’m not gonna hurt you!”

He stops and looks back at Edward from over his shoulder. Ever since he first laid eyes on Edward, he always imagined him saying those words. “You p-promise?” He spoke out of breath.

“Of course I do,” Edward says wholeheartedly. “I’m a marine biologist. I would never harm anything the ocean created.”

He thinks for a moment. He’s lived his life hiding and protecting himself from humans and now he finds himself drawn in by one. He’d probably blindly believe anything the doctor told him. There’s just something about Edward that he trusts. The merman turns himself back over and sits calmly in the very shallow water.

Edward smiles and crawls up next to him. “I watched you sleeping for a while.” He sits in the water. “If I was going to hurt you, I would have done it then.”

“You’re not s-scared of me?”

“No.” Edward shakes his head. “I think you’re beautiful. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

His cheeks bloom with color and he giggles in his hand.

“I thought I’d never hear that laugh again.”

“You looked for m-me?”

“Yes, I’ve been looking for you for days. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I needed to know your name.”

“Th-there is no word for m-my name in your language.”

“I know and that makes sense to me now, but I still need to hear it.”

He smiles before speaking his name to the doctor, which was a variety of different high and low pitched shrieking.

Edward felt as though his eardrums were going to burst, but he was still very pleased to finally hear his name. “Well, I have to call you something,” he says once the ringing in his ears subsided. “I think I heard something in there that sounds like Oz or Ozzie…. Would you mind if I called you Oswald?”

“I love it! I love m-my human name!” He slaps his fin in the water. “Ossswald… Ossswald, Ossswald, Ossswald!”  He says, heavenly delighted, opening his mouth wide on the O and adding extra S’s.

Edward laughs at how ecstatic Oswald is about his new name. “Yes, you’re Oswald.”

“Yes, I am Ossswald!” Oswald echoes.

The doctor gazes at Oswald, fascinated to know all about him and others like him. “I brought you something.” He reaches in his pocket and pulls out the rock Oswald gave him the other day. “You gave me this. Does it mean something to your people?”

Oswald snatches the rock from Edward’s hand. “You hold flipper out like th-this—“ he mimics extending his hand for a handshake— “and I fill it!” He puts the rock in his open palm.

Edward chuckles. He really thought there was a deeper meaning behind the gesture, like the way the penguin gives a pebble to their lifelong mate. “You just thought I was asking you for something.”

“You weren’t?”

“No. When humans introduce themselves to someone new we shake each other’s hands… or flippers.” He couldn’t say that last part without a giggle, and he holds out his hand to show Oswald a proper human introduction. “Now you put yours in mine.”

Oswald quickly follows Edward’s instructions.

“Now we shake them—“ he moves their hands up and down— “and say, hello my name is Edward Nygma. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hello, m-my name is Ossswald. It’s nice to m-meet you.” Oswald puts the rock back in Edward’s hand.

Edward laughs out loud, holding his tightening stomach. This is the most adorable situation he has ever found himself in. He feels like the luckiest man on the planet, not only to have found a mermaid but to have one as his friend. “You're—you’re so cute!” He says through all the laughter. “And smart! You’re such a quick learner!”

Oswald slaps his fin in the water enthusiastically. He never thought he’d ever make a human laugh like this. It was all incredibly exciting. “I like m-making you happy.”

“I like being happy with you,” Edward says once catching his breath. “How did you learn to speak English?” He asks next.

English obviously isn’t Oswald's first language, and he probably never speaks it where he comes from. Edward could tell how he struggles to speak it since he has a slight stutter, but maybe that will go away when Oswald’s starts to speak more English. By any means, even if the stutter doesn’t fade, Edward thinks that it’s absolutely adorable.

“In the water, th-there are lots of human th-things.” Oswald answers. “I first learn from hearing f-fishermen and people on the beach, then I learn from b-books.”

“You taught yourself,” Edward says, amazed. “You are unbelievably intelligent.”

Oswald blushes, tickled pink. Edward has so many kind things to say about him. He isn’t quite used to this sort of attention.

“I know I’m asking you a lot of questions, but I’m just so intrigued by you.”

“I am not b-bothered by them.”

“Can I get a closer look at your tail?” Edward asks.

Oswald nods to agree. He doesn’t mind Edward wanting to check out his tail. He can understand his curiosity.

Edward puts his rock back into his pocket and sits upon his knees, leaning down close to Oswald’s tail. “How gorgeous! Look at all these scales. I have never seen this kind of coloring on any other animal.” He looks up at the merman with a smile. “You are truly something unique, Oswald. You are absolutely beautiful in every way. You’re intelligent, charming, and courageous.” He thought it was brave of Oswald to stay and talk to him when he could have swum away. Oswald does have every right not to trust humans. “I never thought in my life that I’d meet someone like you.”

[[X]](http://askoswaldandedward.tumblr.com/post/175087408926/after-their-embarrassing-first-encounter-merpapa)

Oswald’s heart races as Edward gifts him with praise after praise. He could quickly get used to being talked to this way. He wants to tell Edward how much he has appreciated their time together, but he can’t seem to find the right words. Maybe an act he’s seen many humans do will express exactly what he wants to say.

Oswald grabs Edward by his face and pulls him in for a kiss, completely taking the human by surprise.

Edward’s eyes widen when the merman pressed their lips together. It isn’t like he hadn’t thought about this the whole time they’ve sat here and he couldn’t help but flirt with the gorgeous fish man, but there’s something holding him back from fully enjoying this intoxicating kiss. He plants his hands on Oswald’s cheeks and pulls himself away from Oswald’s lips. “Uh!” He grunts and takes in a breath. Oswald nearly sucked the air out of him.

Oswald tips his head slightly to the right, a look of concern on his features. “D-did I do something wrong?”

“No. I don’t think you could ever do anything wrong in your life,” Edward says honestly. The last thing he wants to do is make Oswald feel like he’s wrong when he is nothing but perfection. “I’m the one who did something wrong,” he explains. “I came here looking for you, knowing what I wanted to happen when I found you— experiencing that kiss was one of them— but I kinda still have a boyfriend. I should have broken up with him a while ago,  _way_  before I started searching for you. I knew the way I felt about you already and I had my expectations when I came here, but I didn’t end it with him and I should have. The fact that I didn’t ruined your amazing kiss for me.”

“You d-don’t like me anymore?” Salty tears started to mist in Oswald’s eyes. He thought this was the beginning of something magical. He thought he finally found his soulmate. Love at first sight really does exist in the wet world, and he thought that that fact was true for the dry world as well.

“No, no, I do!” Edward assured him, “I’m captivated by everything you are.” That statement was absolute fact. “I just need to end something before starting something new, and that’s where I fell short because I came looking for you for exactly that reason. I didn’t expect you to be this unbelievably gorgeous sea creature and that only makes me feel more guilty about my actions. Lucius deserves much better than this. He deserves better than me looking for another behind his back.”

Oswald looks down, skimming his hand slowly over the water. “I th-think I understand.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” Oswald nods. “You still have a m-mate, but you don’t like m-mate anymore and you n-need to tell them.”

“Yes, that’s it,” Edward says relived that Oswald understands. He doesn’t want to stop what they’ve just started. He just needs to tie up loose ends in his life. “Does that happen to people where you come from?”

Oswald slowly nods again.

“Has that ever happened to you?”

He shakes his no. “I’ve never had a m-mate.”

“Oh, I see.” Edward sits back down next to Oswald. “Sometimes it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be and other times it’s the most amazing thing in the world.”

“Why d-don’t you like your mate anymore?”

Edward sighs. “It’s not that I don’t like him anymore. I still love and respect him, but we’re so much alike. We even work together. I guess we’ve just kinda grown apart and things have gotten dull. We are always together and I used to love that... I used to think that I could spend the rest of my life with him, but now I know I can’t. He’s a very good man who deserves someone who will love him the way he should be loved, but that person just isn’t me anymore.” He pours his heart out to his new marine friend. Talking to Oswald comes so easily for Edward which is something he no longer has with Lucius.

“Th-that’s understandable,” Oswald says, taking Edward by the hand. “Is th-this okay? C-can we hold flippers?” He doesn’t want to do anything to make Edward uncomfortable again.

“Yes, Oswald—” a breathy chuckle escapes him— “we can hold flippers.”

A calming silence falls between them as they hold hands, watching the tide coming in and the sun slowly starting to set. Edward wants more moments like this. He needs to spend more time with Oswald and learn more about him and his life in the sea, but he wants to do that without his conflicting feeling for his current boyfriend. He did come to this beach hoping to search for new love, but he didn’t know how fast he would fall and he didn’t expect it to be for such a stunning creature. He thought he'd have more time to straighten things out with Lucius before his infatuation with the man he met out in the middle of the sea, blossomed into something more.

Oswald turns to Edward with a small grin on his face. “I sh-should go home.” He really doesn’t what to leave Edward on the beach alone, but he’s already been out of the water longer than he planned and he has to do a bit of hunting before the sun goes down.

“W-what…? Why?” Edward was hoping they could send a few hours together. “Can’t you stay?” He holds Oswald’s hand tighter, somewhat possessively. “We have so much to talk about.”

“No,” Oswald says timidly. “I—I really sh-should go home.”

“But we have to get to know each other,” he pleads for the merman to stay. He’s nowhere near ready for them to part.

“We d-don’t have to do that in one d-day.”

“That’s true… Okay, I understand,” Edward says reluctantly. “How can I see you again? When can I see you again?”

“When do you want to s-see me again?”

“Tomorrow. I have to see you tomorrow.”

“Then t-tomorrow you will,” Oswald promises. “Just come back here.”

“What time?”

“S-same as today.”

“I’ll be here.” Edward wouldn't miss seeing Oswald for anything. He’ll be back here right on time tomorrow, not a second more or less.

“So will I.” Oswald gives Edward a coy smile before turning over on his belly and pulling himself back into the water.

Edward watches as Oswald swims away. It was the most majestic thing he’s ever witnessed. He feels lucky that he gets the chance to see it again tomorrow.

Now sitting alone, Edward’s hearts pounds in his chest. Was anything that just happened real? Or was it all a dream and he’ll soon find himself waking up in bed? He tries to convince himself that he really did meet a mermaid, talked to him, kissed him, and watched him swim away, but it’s still so hard to believe. He supposes he’ll know the answer to that when he returns to the beach tomorrow.

He remains sitting in the shallow water, watching the sun setting, thinking of the best way to end his five-year relationship with Lucius Fox. How can he tell the only man he’s ever loved that he’s leaving him to possibly date a merman?


	2. Breaking Up Doesn’t Have to End With Me Hating You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward meets Oswald on the beach again and they swim together, getting a chance to get to know each other more. Edward’s drift from his relationship with Lucius causes him to miss an important dinner at Mayor Galavan’s mansion - which ends up being to the catalyst for Edward and Lucius to finally talk about the crumbling state of their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though I loved writing this, I have never broken up one of my OTP before so this was very heartbreaking to me. I did enjoy working on this, but I also cried.... like A LOT! But this was done with very good and interesting intentions for the future of this story, trust me. I hope those who read it enjoy and well let me know what you think. Please like, reblog, or comment if you do like it. Happy reading!

## Part Two:  Breaking Up Doesn’t Have to End With Me Hating You

 

When Edward came home tonight after meeting Oswald, he felt like a new man with an exciting and vivid future ahead of him. He feels as though he knows the great wonders of the world and that he’s been chosen to explore them with such a marvelous being.

He contemplated on his relationship with Lucius tonight as he sat on the beach, and had come up with no solution on how to end it. He still loves Lucius and will always have a place in his heart for him, but their life together has gone as far as it can go. They aren’t as happy with each other as they once were, and that strain shows in their everyday life. One of them had to find the strength to face it and point out that what they were once trying to build is no longer holding strong. Edward is hoping to be that person. He knows that both of them could be better men if they weren’t holding each other down.

“You’re obsessed with that thing,” Lucius Fox says as he sits up in bed next to his boyfriend. He types up a letter to Mayor Theodor Galavan to ask for more funding for the Gotham Marine Life Research Division.

“No, I’m not,” Edward protests and quickly sets the rock he received as an unexpected gift from his new mermaid friend on the nightstand next to the bed.

“Yes, you are,” he chortles, never taking his eyes off of the computer screen. “You’ve taken that thing everywhere you go. You stare at it every night before bed and I sit here wondering why. But all I can think is that it’s just a glorified paperweight that my boyfriend started worshipping a week ago.”

Edward turns his head and stares at the rock, thinking of the man who gave it to him. “It’s my lucky charm.” A proud smirk curls upon his face.

Without the rock, he doesn’t think he would have been able to find Oswald again.

Lucius snickers, watching Edward gaze dotingly at the sea stone. “When did Mr.  _‘There has to be a logical explanation for everything’_  start believing in luck?”

Edward looks at Lucius and smiles with his eyes. “Since I discovered that there are amazing things in this world that we still don’t know about, that there are still new things to discover,” he expressed softy as if he was high on life. Just think about Oswald, knowing that someone like him existed, was intoxicating in itself.

“You suddenly have found a new outlet on things. It’s fascinating and a little odd.” He brushes back the curls in Edward’s face with his right hand, then goes back to writing his letter. “What would  _really_  be amazing is if we get this grant from the mayor,” he adds.

“Yeah,” Edward sighs and looks up at the ceiling. It feels as though his words have gone in one of Lucius’ ear and straight out of the other. “That would be amazing too.”

“But hey,” he says and regains his boyfriend’s attention. “I’m glad you’ve found your luck though. It’s made you happy and I like seeing you happy.”   

Edward smiles up at him. He may have fallen out of love with Lucius, but he’s still an astonishing person. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Lucius closes the screen of the computer and puts it on the nightstand. He can finish the letter in the morning. He then scoots closer to Edward, leans into him, and kisses his lips passionately, flicking his tongue against Edward’s gently. His hand begins to glide lower down Edward’s body and he palms at the front of his boyfriend’s pants in an attempt to get a rouse out of him.

“Mmm…” Edward's eyes flutter closed as he moans sweetly before breaking their kiss and removing Lucius’ hand from his pants. He enjoyed the kiss, but he’s reached a place where he can no longer give his body to Lucius. “I can’t, Foxy,” he whispers. “Not tonight.”

“We haven’t made love in over a month.” He cups Edward’s cheek, slowly rubbing his thumb over his smooth warm skin. “I miss you.”

“I know, and I miss you too, but I can’t tonight.” He slips his hand into Lucius’ and brings it down from his face, but he remains holding it. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Alright.” Lucius gives Edward a kiss on the cheek before rolling off of him. “I guess I’m not in the mood either. You just looked so pretty gazing at your rock.”

“I’m sorry.” Edward turns on his side to face him.

“For what?” He asks, shrugging his shoulder. “You didn’t do anything.”

“I haven’t been giving you any attention and you deserve better than that.”

“You have other things on your mind, Ed.”

“I used to always have you on my mind.”

“It’s fine,” Lucius sighs. “I still have you on mine.”

“It is really fine though?” Edward questions. Maybe he can get Lucius to admit that their relationship is no longer working. “I’m laying here telling you that you’re not on my mind and you’re just okay with that?”

“I’m not completely okay with it, but what I can I do?” He answers honestly. “How am I supposed to make someone think about me when I’m not even sure of how much they love me anymore?”

Edward’s eyes widen, realizing that Lucius does understand, but he’s just afraid to admit it too. “I still love you, Foxy.” He falls back on his attempt to talk about it, just like he always does. Besides, this isn’t the right time or place. They shouldn’t go to bed upset with each other.

“I know you do, and I never said that you didn’t.” He brings Edward’s hand up to his lips and kisses it. “Anyway…” He lets go of his hand and turns off the reading lamp, then snuggles in under the blanket on his side of the bed. “You sleep well and dream about whatever you think of when you look at that rock.”

Edward closes the gap between them and lays his head on Lucius’ chest. “I think about my life when I look at the stone,” he admits. He thought Lucius deserved to hear the truth. “I think about my future.”

“Is it a bright future you see?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m content with you thinking about that than me.”

## *  
*  
*

The next evening after a day of research with the students and avoiding any serious conversation with Lucius about their relationship, Edward finally gets to see the person he’s had on his mind all day.

He packs up his snorkel, flippers, a light dinner to eat on the beach, and also a small medical kit to check Oswald’s vitals if the merman will allow him. He is a man of science, after all, and he wouldn’t want to miss a chance to learn about Oswald’s biology and to make sure that he was completely healthy. He takes his bag out to the car and drives to the same location where he found the mermaid.

Edward arrives on the beach at the precise time he came yesterday, just in time to witness Oswald breach from the ocean waves.

It was all real. What happened yesterday was not a fantasy.

He watches Oswald coming to shore in awe as he carries his things from the car. He thought to watch the merman leaving yesterday was the most majestic things he’s ever seen, but to see him returning— knowing that  _he_  was the only reason why Oswald was coming to the beach— was far, far, more magical.

“I can’t believe you’re here again!” Edward drops his bag on the dry land and runs to meet with Oswald. He kicks off his shoes in the sand and tosses away his shirt just before reaching the tide.

Oswald pulls himself onto the beach and sits where the water is just under his waist.

“Hello again,” Edward says, overly expressive, and sits down next to the mermaid.

“Hello, m-my name is Ossswald. It’s nice to m-meet you.” He holds out his hand to shake Edward’s. “Now you p-put your flipper in mine.”

Edward’s face lights up with laughter as he takes Oswald’s hand. “That’s right. You remember the human greeting.”

“Yes, I d-do!”

“That’s so incredible,” he praises and let’s go of Oswald’s hand. “But you don’t have to do it every time you and I meet. We already know each other.”

“Okay.” Oswald nods with understanding. He now knows to only do that with new people.

“Wow!” He suddenly bursts out in surprise. “I really can't believe you’re here. I can’t believe how beautiful you are. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

“You’re b-beautiful too.” Oswald unties the seashell and seaweed rope necklace from around his neck. “Th-that’s why I make this; to make you more b-beautiful.”

“Oh, Oswald.” Tears begin to mist in his eyes as Oswald lays the necklace in his hand. “You didn’t have to make me anything. You already gave me this.” He takes the rock out of the pocket of his swim trunks.

“Th-that’s just a rock… rock m-means nothing. A gift like th-this is meant for a long friendship where I c-come from.”

“The rock means something to me now. You gave it to me the first time we met and it’s become my lucky charm. I take it everywhere I go.”

“You d-don’t want new gift?”

“Yes, I do!” Edward assures. He loves the new gift and will cherish it just as much as he does the rock. “I think it’s beautiful, Oswald. I didn’t know this had such an important meaning behind it. I want it. I really do!... I was only explaining that the rock does have a meaning to me as well… Does that make sense to you?”

  


 

[[X]](http://askoswaldandedward.tumblr.com/post/177036735216/merpapa-making-shell-necklaces-for-ed-and-when-the)

“I understand,” Oswald says. “I have th-things that make m-me feel too.”

“You do?” Edward asks. He rests the rock down between them as he ties the gorgeous necklace around his neck. Oswald was not only highly intelligent, but he was talented with his hands. What an amazing creature.

“You see?” He shows Edward the sapphire and diamond ring on his little finger, which was once a wedding ring that was lost at sea. “My m-mother?” He thinks that’s the right human word. “Gave it to m-me. I keep it with me j-just like you keep rock.”

“That’s a gorgeous ring. It might even be an antique.”

“What’s an-antique?” He asks. Oswald wants to learn from Edward just as much as Edward wants to learn from him.

“It means that something is very old.” He takes off his glasses and shows them to Oswald. “These frames are antiques too. Lucius gave them to me for my birthday three years ago. Glasses aren’t made like this anymore, so that’s what makes them special.”

Oswald nods, understanding what Edward means.

“I would keep that ring with me too,” he adds and puts his glasses back on. “It’s probably worth a fortune on dry land.”

Oswald tips his head slightly to the left and squints a little. “A fortune?”

“Yes, like money,” Edward explains. “Money is what we use to buy things we need, like food, clothing, or a house. Everyone needs money where I come from.”

“Why c-can’t you hunt to eat? Why can’t you m-make your home?”

“You can, but you’d still need money to do it,” Edward says. “It’s hard to explain since you don’t really know how life is outside of the ocean.”

“You s-said I was smart. I c-could understand.”

“Oh, I know you are and I know you could understand. You’re very, very smart.” He takes Oswald by the hand. He didn’t mean to make Oswald think that he couldn’t comprehend anything he says. “I’m the one that’s not smart right now because I don’t know how to tell you why we can’t just do those things without money. If I could somehow show you that would help me…. but none of this really matters right now.” He doesn’t want to bore Oswald with talk about money and the economy.  _Can a merman even get bored?_  “I want to know about you and your life, so I brought my snorkel. I thought maybe we could swim together.”

“I love swimming!” Oswald slaps his fin in the water enthusiastically.

“I had a feeling you would.” He smiles and picks up his lucky rock from the sand. “I’m going to get my stuff. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Edward stands up from the water and goes to collect the bag he left haphazardly on the beach. When he opens it, he finds his phone is buzzing inside. He missed two calls from Lucius and has received a text message from him as well.

> _My Sexy Foxy: Where are you, Ed?_

Edward sighs and rolls his eyes.  “Dammit…”

“D-dammit?” Oswald echoes.

“Oh no!” He didn’t mean for Oswald to hear him. He should really be more careful with what he says and does. Oswald is learning from every move Edward makes. “Please don’t repeat that. It isn’t polite to say.”

  


 

[[X]](http://askoswaldandedward.tumblr.com/post/176984857106/another-ask-for-mrgoldsdearies-merpapa-fic)

“I like learning n-new words.”

“I know you want to learn, but there are some words you shouldn’t say.”

“B-bad words?” Oswald questions. He didn’t know there were words that shouldn’t be said and he wonders if he’s ever said them before.

“Yes. There are some bad words.”

“How d-do I know if a word is b-bad?”

“I’ll teach them to you so that you know not to say them, but not right now, okay?”

“Okay!”

Edward unlocks his phone and sends a text back to Lucius.

> _Me: Swimming._

He then tosses the phone back into the bag and grabs his snorkel and flippers. The phone buzzes again, but he chooses to ignore it.

> _My Sexy Foxy: You were supposed to be here 20 minutes ago._

Edward rests the bag and his lucky rock down on the beach as he puts on his snorkel and flippers. After getting all ready to swim, he waddles back to meet up with Oswald. “Do you think I can pass for a mermaid now?”

Oswald giggles as Edward got closer. “I d-don’t think so.”

“I don't think so either,” he chuckles and lays down on his belly in the water.

“You’re n-not walking?” Oswald thought it was strange for Edward not to walk out into the deeper water.

“No. I’m gonna do it just like you.” He kicks his legs, splashing the water with his flippers, trying to imitate Oswald’s excited tail. “Let’s go!”

Oswald flips himself onto his round belly and starts to pull himself out into the water.

Edward follows directly behind him.

Swimming with Oswald was a surreal experience for Edward. He’s swum in these waters before, but never like this. Never with a guide who knows the ocean better than anyone living on dry land. It was beautiful to bear witness to a mermaid in his home world and he learned so much just from watching. He studies Oswald’s behavior and took mental notes for the things he observes. He even tries to imitate Oswald’s graceful moves in the water and, of course, he fails. He was able to draw out silent laughs from Oswald - which makes his swimming blunders worth everything.

Oswald knows that he shouldn’t take Edward too far away from land, so, unfortunately, he couldn’t show him the eighteenth-century shipwreck he calls home. He did, however, show Edward one of his favorite reefs to hunt and even found a small octopus to snack on. Octopi are Oswald’s favorites.

When they emerge from the water after an hour of swimming, Edward is riding on a natural high he has never experienced in his life. Oswald was incredible. There was only one thing he could do to show Oswald how much he appreciated everything they’ve done together; to show him how much he appreciated him.

He takes off his snorkel, leaving it to dangle around his neck, and takes hold of both of Oswald’s hands to pull him closer. He then brushes the soaked, silvery hair from Oswald’s face and leans into him, kissing his lips gently.

Oswald immediately melds into Edward’s kiss. He didn’t think this would happen again. He wanted it to, but Edward didn’t mention anything about his mate and Oswald wasn’t sure whether to ask or not.

Edward slowly breaks their kiss and gazes into the most gorgeous green eyes he’s ever seen. He can see the years of a carefree life in the ocean in them. He isn't sure of how much older Oswald is than him, but he was still stunning nevertheless. Every wrinkle on his face told a story: a story of an enchanting and exciting life under the sea.

“I wanted to show you how much all of this meant to me and that kiss was the only way I knew how,” Ed whispers, still stroking Oswald’s cheek affectionately. “I hope you didn’t mind.”

“I loved it,” Oswald says with a breathy sigh, body trembling. Their second kiss was better than the first one. “D-does this mean we c-can be mates now?”

“Not yet, but soon. I still need to break up with Lucius.”

“Th-that sounds difficult.”

“It is. That’s why it’s taken me so long to do it, but I know I have to.”

“I wish I c-could help.”

“You are.” He cups Oswald round freckled cheek with his other hand. “You’re giving me the strength to do the right thing.”

“I’m happy I g-give you strength.”

“Me too.” He gives Oswald another sweet kiss. “But we don’t have to think about my break up right now. That’s a horrible subject for that gorgeous sunset behind us…. So can I ask you something I’ve been hesitant to bring up?”

“You d-don’t have to be scared to ask me anything.”

“Well, I’m a marine biologist. I study life in the ocean and I was wondering if I could check your heart and your breathing. We don’t know anything about mermaids and I was hoping I could learn about them through you.”

Oswald has seen some of things humans would do for the sake of studying it. It’s one of the reasons why he has always kept his distance from them, but he knows that Edward is different. “Will it h-hurt?” he asks, only to make sure that is wouldn’t.

“No… No… I would never hurt you. I promised never to hurt you and that’s what I’m going to do,” Edward says honestly. “I can check your heart with this mechanism called a stethoscope. I just put this little flat disk on your chest like this—” he lays his hand flat on Oswald’s chest the same way the scope would— “and it magnifies the sound of your heart so I can hear its rhythm.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.” Edward nods. “That’s it.”

“Okay,” Oswald agrees.

“Thank you,” he says, thrilled. With the speed that Oswald can swim, Edward knows he won’t hear anything defective, but he still wants to check to make sure and put the data with the rest of his mental notes. He’ll type up what he’s observed when he goes home tonight.

When they return to the shore together, Edward picks up his bag and opens it to take out the medical kit, but his phone lights up and catches his attention. He’s missed several more calls from Lucius and his texts.

> _My Sexy Foxy: You were supposed to be here 20 minutes ago._
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: I can't believe you ditched this to go swimming._
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: It's like you weren’t even listening to me at lunch. I should have known you weren’t._
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: You never listen to me anymore._

It takes Edward a moment, but he soon remembers what Lucius is talking about.

This morning, Lucius had finished and sent his letter to the mayor about the grant, and he received a prompt reply just an hour later. Mayor Galavan was having a banquet dinner tonight and had invited Edward and Lucius to speak with him personally about the grant. Lucius told Edward about tonight’s dinner at lunch, but it all, so obviously, flew over Edward’s head. All he thought about today was being here with Oswald.

“Fuck!” Edward shouts at his phone.

Edward’s bellow shivers down Oswald’s spine. He knew what he had said was one of the bad words and that something was seriously wrong with Ed. “Are you okay?” He asks, concern etched in his voice.

“No.” He rips the snorkel off from around his neck. “I mean, I’m physically fine. I’m not hurt if that’s what you’re asking… My career might not be okay though.”

“What h-happened?”

“I missed something important.”

“B-because of me?” Oswald thinks that if Edward had missed something important then it had to have been his fault because Edward had been with him this entire time.

“No, no.” Edward quickly steps up to Oswald, plops down on his knees in the water and cups both of Oswald’s cheeks, looking him squarely in the eye. “It was me. It was all me. I was the reason I missed it. It wasn’t you. You’re perfect.”

Oswald still couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

“Lucius and I had a meeting with someone to give us money to fund our work. I know Lucius tried his best to explain our research to the man who would give us the money, but Lucius can’t tell him everything. He doesn’t know much about my projects so he can’t speak about them. Which is a bad thing because only knowing half of the story means we might only get half of the money… Does that make sense to you?”

“I think so… You need m-money so you c-can learn about ocean.”

“Yes! You're so smart!” He says adoringly.

“If you need t-to leave, you can go and take c-care of important things.”

“Are you sure?” Edward asks. He isn’t ready to go. He had planned to watch the stars come out tonight and possibly give Oswald his first taste of human food.

“Yes.” Oswald nods. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll come back tomorrow. The same time as today. I’ll be back tomorrow. I promise.”

“I know you will.”

Edward presses his lips to Oswald’s, needing one more kiss for tonight. “I love the way you taste like salt water,” he murmurs on Oswald’s lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.”

The last thing he wanted to do was leave Oswald this way, but he had to get home. Getting that grant wasn’t all on Lucius’ shoulder, but it would be all Edward’s fault if they don’t get the money they needed.

Edward quickly got up from the beach and swiftly gathers his things and stuffs them in the bag, then rushes to the car as fast as he could.

As Oswald watches Edward throw everything in the back seat of his car, he also notices that Edward had forgotten something important to him. He has left his lucky rock on the beach.

Oswald scoops it up from the sand and takes it home with him. Tomorrow he’ll figure out a way to get it back to Edward as soon as possible. Ed shouldn’t go a whole day without his lucky rock.

## *  
*  
*

Edward stumbles into the apartment he shares with Lucius, still wet from his swim with Oswald. He finds Lucius wearing one of his most exquisite black suits, waiting in the living room for him to return. Lucius had come home early from the dinner, too embarrassed to stay to the end after he waited so long at the mayor’s house.

Lucius looks up, shocked to see Edward in nothing but swim trunks and wearing a seashell necklace. “I can’t believe it… I can’t believe you were actually swimming.” He stands up from the couch. “For some reason, I was hoping that it was a lie, but you told the truth and I’m not sure if that makes anything better or worse.”

“Foxy, I’m sorry. I was listening to you at lunch, but I don’t know why I forgot.”

Had Edward been listening, he would have met up with Oswald to let him know that he couldn’t stay long and that he had something important to attend to.

“You forgot because you weren’t listening,” Lucius says.

It was very short notice to suddenly get the invitation to the mayor’s dinner party tonight, but neither of them had any other plans. At least that’s what Lucius thought.

Edward drops his bag on the floor and closes the door behind him. “You’re right,” he admits. “I wasn’t listening to you.”

“I know you weren’t because you were in your head,” Lucius says, heartbreak in his voice. “That’s where you always are… at least when you’re around me.”  

“I’m sorry,” Edward apologies again and steps up to Lucius, taking him by the hands. “You don’t deserve to be ignored.”

“So why do you do it to me?”

Edward gazes into Lucius’ eyes, unable to answer his question.

“I knew you wouldn’t have an answer.” He slips his hands out of Edward’s and turns away from him, crossing his arms. “You never have answers for anything anymore.”

Tears begin to stain Edward’s ruddy cheeks. He’s never seen Lucius so heartbroken and there’s nothing that he could do to change it. He can’t suddenly bring back the feelings he's lost for him, but that doesn’t mean he has no feelings at all. He does have them. They’re just not the same as the way he felt for Lucius five years ago.

“D-did I—“ Edward clears his throat and wipes away the tears— “did I ruin our chance to get the grant?”

“I was able to get us another chance because he wants to talk to both of us, but it was so close with things not ending in our favor.” He turns to face Edward, pain in his eyes. “I had to literally beg for a second chance. Galavan is not an easy man to make change his mind.”

“You shouldn’t have had to beg. That’s my fault and I’m so sorry.” Edward goes to the couch and sits, burying his head in his hands. “I don’t know what else I can say. I don’t know what to do.”

“You can tell me why you’re always in your head. You can tell me why you never listen to me anymore…” Lucius sits down next to Edward and lays a hand on Ed’s knee. “You can tell me why you don’t love me.”

Edward quickly lifts his head when Lucius mentioned not loving him. “I do love you, Foxy,” he passionately protests.

“That’s no longer true and we both know it.” He only wants Edward to be honest.

“That’s a lie. I do love you. I always have and I always will…” Edward takes a pause. What he has to say next is the hardest part for him. He’s avoided saying it aloud for weeks. “I just—I… It… It’s just not as much as before.”

“Why?” Lucius hopelessly took hold of Edward’s hand.

He thought he was always good to Ed. He thought he always treated him with respect and love. He comforted Ed on his lowest days when anxiety from his abusive upbringing tried to get the better of him. Now it pains him to learn that he did something wrong in their relationship together.

“What did I do to you, Ed? I thought all I ever did was love you.” His bottom lip gently wobbles as the tears stream down his cheeks.

Edward holds Lucius’ hands tightly. “It’s not something you did… It’s just what we are. We’re stuck. I can’t see us moving anywhere else.”

Lucius blinks and lowers his head, realizing that Edward is right. He’s been too blinded by work to see that they have been riding side by side on a neverending carousel with no place to stop and no place to go.

“That’s true,” he says eventually, lifting up his head. “We are stuck, aren’t we?”

“Yes.” Edward nods. “We’ve been going around the same circles with each other for a long time. I guess when I noticed it, that’s when my mind just started to drift when I’m around you. I hate it. I hate being that way with you. You deserve better.”

“You deserve better too, Ed. This isn’t all your fault. I know that sometimes I can be hard on you. You have such a beautiful, brilliant, mind and sometimes I don’t understand what goes on in it… I think I unintentionally hold you back from expressing it and you don’t need that. You need to be free.”

“I am free with you, Foxy.” He grazes the back of his hand gently down Lucius stubbled cheek.

“Please don’t say things you think I want to hear.”

“Okay.” Edward’s hand falls from Lucius’ face and he shifts in his seat, turning his body a little away from Lucius. “So what now?” He asks though he knew what was next. Someone had to make this official. He thought he was that person, but he clearly isn’t.  

The room awkwardly falls silent as both men avoid the inevitable for one last moment.

“I think this is it for us,” Lucius breaks the quiet void between them. It twisted his stomach to say those words, but one of them had to. “I think we need to be apart so we can be better.”

Edward turns back to him and grabs him by the hands, holding them desperately against his heart. “I never meant to make you hate me,” he whimpers, tears flowing from his eyes.

“Breaking up doesn’t have to end with me hating you.” He scoots closer to Edward and leans into him to rest his head against Ed’s brow. “We can still love each other,” he whispers. “We can still be friends. We can still be in each other’s lives without being so close. What we both really need is space to grow and find ourselves again.”

“We can do that?”

“Of course we can.”

Edward dried away Lucius’ tears before kissing him tenderly. He couldn’t ask for a better way to end a strong and beautiful five-year relationship. They can remain friends and love each other without having to fully be committed to each other’s lives.

….Or perhaps, there is a much better way to end this.

With his emotions running high and not being in the mood for over a month, Edward wraps his arms around Lucius to bring his body closer as he deepens their kiss.

“Mmm…” Lucius hums, sliding his hands down Edward’s bareback.

Edward’s lips travel away from Lucius’ and begin to leave a trail of kisses down his neck.

“Ah,” Lucius heavenly breaths as his head falls back to expose more of his neck and he buries his hands in Edward’s damp hair. “What are we doing?” He asks but doesn’t do anything to stop what they’ve started. He wants this just as much as Ed.

“Ugnh,” Edward groans on Lucius’ rich, soft flesh. “I think we’re doing the break-up sex thing.”

“Well let’s not do it on the couch.” Lucius quickly hops up and pulls Edward from the couch to go into their bedroom, but they don’t make it there yet since Edward has decided to pen Lucius against the wall.

“Ugh,” Lucius grunts when his back makes a thud with the connection to the wall.

Still kissing the other man, sloppily, Edward quickly works on getting Lucius out of his suit by unbuttoning the jacket and putting it off his shoulders.

Lucius breathes in deeply through his nose as he allows Edward to strip him of his clothing. “You smell like sea water,” he murmurs on Ed’s lips.

“And you smell like rich people’s overpriced cologne,” Edward says and pulls Lucius’ belt out of the loops. He then pulls down the pants and Lucius kicks off his shoes before stepping out of the pants.

“I couldn’t breathe when I walked into the mayor’s house.” Lucius slowly starts to rub circles over the front of Edward’s swim trunks and then he cups his bulge - giving Edward a satisfied smirk.

Once getting Lucius out of most of his clothing, Edward frees him from the wall and backs him up into their bedroom. “I bet you couldn’t breathe,” he says through clenched teeth and shoves Lucius down into the bed.


	3. Ossswald’s Venture to the City of Gotham

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Edward forgets his lucky rock on the beach, Oswald is determined to return it to him. He is unsure if an old mermaid myth is true or not, but he’s willing to take a risk to visit Edward on dry land. Lucius grieves the loss of his relationship with Edward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one, but it’s beginning to set up more plot for the story. I know I’ve been writing this fic back to back, but I just really wanted to get this story out of my head. Maybe my next fic will be a chapter to one of my other WIP’s. I would love to know what you think, so please like, comment, or reblog. Happy reading!

## Part Three: Ossswald’s Venture to the City of Gotham

 

Oswald had only one thing on his mind throughout the night; getting Edward’s lucky rock back to him. He knows it’s dangerous and that he could risk exposing the existence of his kind to a world that might not be ready to know the truth. However, this little smooth stone is very important to his friend, and Edward should always have it with him.

There’s a lore amongst the people who live in the deepest parts of the sea. It’s said that if one were to find themselves away from the rolling tides of their home, that they would shed their fin to reveal a pair of legs to walk among the human world. It’s unknown if there is any truth behind the myth, but the story itself gives Oswald just enough hope to try. He’s read of many unbelievably true tales happening in the world, so why couldn’t there be any truth to this one as well?

Oswald knows the early morning hours of Gotham’s commercial fishermen to avoid getting caught in their nets while hunting for his breakfast. While eating his own catch, he’s watched them numerous times unloading their hoard of fish onto the docks. He thinks that his knowledge of how they work will be all that he needs to get himself on one of the trucks and on his way to finding Edward.

He never thought he’d attempt anything like this before, he’s never had a reason to. The way he feels for the human is new and inspiring and has opened up a world of curiosity for him. Edward has brought a different meaning and a purpose in Oswald’s life that he would have never dreamt of happening.  

He has the rock in a small leather messenger bag he found one day on the beach - which was full of clothing that he isn’t quite sure he can fit, but he brought the clothing along anyway because he’s never seen a human without them. He’s smart enough to know that he must blend into the environment like many animals in the ocean who protect themselves with camouflage. Oswald also brought an old cane with a silver penguin head as a handle. It was in his large collection of human items he’s found over the years. He hopes the cane will help him walk when he gets his new legs… If he gets his new legs.

Now all set with everything he needs for his mythical transformation, Oswald waits at the docks, hidden away from sight for the perfect time to make his move.

There are five fishermen on the docks this morning, just back from their night of catching a variety of fish. One of the men guides a large tube down into the hull of their boat to vacuum out the catch. Last night was a very successful night of fishing.

The fish that are getting moved out of the boat are landing into a cart that can hold hundreds of pounds of fish. They also have another cart standing by, so Oswald thinks that they may have caught enough fish to at least fill one cart and half of the other. He decides to wait until they load the first cart onto the truck and sneak onto the vehicle as they start to fill the second.

Oswald stays along the edge of the dock as he moves closer to the truck while two of the men start to push the first cart of fish into the truck’s cargo hold. There isn’t a long distance between the edge of the dock to where the truck is parked— maybe four or five yards— but Oswald still needs to be careful and swift.

Once the men load the cart, they leave the hatch door open so they can easily roll in the next one.

Oswald continues to watch until he knew exactly where each man was. One was guiding the suction of the vacuum. Two others were doing maintenance on the boat to ready it for another sail. The last two, the ones who pushed the cart, are having a smoke break far on the opposite side of the dock. With everyone accounted for, Oswald set his plan into motion.

With the shaft of the cane between his teeth, Oswald pulls himself out of the water and onto the dock. He slithers behind a dumpster which is his one and only checkpoint before heading directly for the truck. He peers out from behind the dumpster and everyone is still accounted for in their right places. He takes one last deep breath, then moves as fast as he can, plopping up and down on his belly like a seal until he’s hidden safely inside the truck.

Oswald breathes a sigh of relief as his heart hammers in his chest from all the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He’s never done anything so spontaneously impulsive in his life. It was unbelievable! He was alive!

However, this wasn’t a time to proudly celebrate his achievement. He must be completely out of sight of the fishermen and the floor of the truck is not the best hiding place.

Still holding the cane between his teeth and the bag over his shoulder, Oswald pulls himself up on the side of the cart full of fish and rolls himself inside it. Fish spill over the side as Oswald buried himself deep to the bottom.

Now he was safe from the view of human eyes from spotting a man with a sparkly purple fishtail. All that’s left to do is to wait for the truck to move and hope that the myth is real. This will all be for nothing if it isn’t true that mermaids can shed their fin.

## *  
*  
*

The sun begins to rise over the city and it shines through the open curtains of Edward and Lucius’ bedroom. Their evening together was full of low and high emotions, but they ended the night saying a final farewell to their romantic relationship in the most intimate way.

Edward is seeking to keep that intimacy just a little longer by kissing Lucius awake, something his hasn’t done in a rather long time.

Lucius sighs, melding into the kiss. And why wouldn’t he? It’s what he’s always done.  

Edward slips his tongue inside of Lucius’ warm mouth and rubs his ex’s shoulder firmly before gradually breaking the kiss.

Lucius opens his eyes to Edward’s beautiful smile and he thinks this might be what he’s going to miss most. “You gotta get used to not doing that, Ed,” he whispers.

“I know—” Edward ran the back of his left hand down Lucius’ cheek— “but we had so much fun last night.”

The sex was rough at first, letting out their frustrations and high energy before things slowed down, and the night ended up being a long and tender monument to their love.

“Not having sex for a month and a half can keep a man going for hours,” Lucius chuckles lightly as he turns over to his back. His lightheartedness is short lived though, knowing that last night was all there would be for the couple they once were.  

Swallowing down his heartbreak, Lucius rubs the sleepiness from his eyes and asks, “What are you going to do today, Ed?”

Edward sits up on the side of the bed and slips his feet into the house shoes on the floor. “Well—“ he sighs— “I’m going to get a proper presentation going for our second pitch to the mayor.”

He wants to be well prepared for any inquiries Mayor Galavan may have.

“That’s good,” Lucius replies, pulling the blanket under his neck, taking comfort in its warmth “What else?”

“Umm… Just a small project with the students today—“ he stands up naked from the bed— “but that’s only like an hour maybe forty-five minutes. Other than that nothing really… Why do you ask? What’s on your mind?”

It’s been so long since Edward had asked Lucius what was on his mind. It’s like Ed finally cut the rope on the dead weight pulling him down and now he’s feeling lighter than air. Lucius, however, isn’t feeling any lighter at all and his crumbling heart dissolves a little more the longer he looks at Edward.  

Lucius turns his head away from Ed and clutches the blanket tightly. “I think your free time today would be best used on you getting a head start.”

“A head start on what?” Edward gawks at Lucius puzzled.

Lucius clears his throat and chokes down his emotions. “I’m not rushing you and you can take all the time you need,” he spoke honesty and fair. “But this place was mine before you moved in, then it became ours, and… last night, it became mine again.” He quickly turned his whole body away from Ed, not wanting to see his reaction.

Edward stares at the back of Lucius’ head, biting his bottom lip. “Oh….” He finally gets it. “Oh, I see.” He nods his head, folding his hands behind his back. It honestly hadn’t crossed his mind that he’d have to move, at least not yet.

He suddenly starts to feel the weight of guilt and his mind imagines it nudging up against his body, reeking of alcohol.

> _“Yes, I’m here now, Eddie,” Guilt— which looked like a ruddy version of himself— whisperers in Edward’s ear. “This is more tragic than you thought, isn’t it? Spur of the moment sex can’t cure a broken heart. It only makes it worse.” He rubs Edward’s shoulders. “Look at what you did to the most brilliant man you’ve ever known. You turned him into a soft, lonely, shell of himself.”_

“Maybe this is just my bitterness dumping things on you,” Lucius says, unknowingly bringing Edward out of his hallucination. “Especially after that unbelievably long and amazing sex that will never happen again.” He sits up, wrapping the blanket around his chest, and looks at Edward.

Okay… Lucius is definitely bitter, but who wouldn’t be? The anguish Lucius is feeling is all too real. He just lost the only man he’s fallen in love with; the man he once dreamt of marrying.

“We have to deal with the reality of the decision we’ve made,” Lucius goes on to say, trying his best to stay strong. He really isn’t sure how long that will last.

“We can’t keep waking up kissing each other.” He wraps his arms around his stomach as if he’s gotten a cramp. “We can’t keep brushing our teeth together.” He sniffs, eyes swelling up with tears. “We don’t even have to eat together if we don’t want to.” Lucius pauses and stares down at his covered feet.

He tries to keep it all bottled in, but at this rate, what’s the point? Why does he have to be the one that keeps it all together? He shouldn’t have to anymore. Lucius should be allowed to express his emotions the way he sees fit and not have to feel guilty about it.

“Those are all the amazing benefits of a break-up.” Hot tears slid down Lucius’ dark cheeks. “You’d love that, Edward,” his voice cracks and he immediately rolls over in bed. He buries his face into the pillows and sobs.

Seeing Lucius this way tears out Edward’s heart. He never wanted their life together to end up like this. All he ever wanted to do was make Lucius happy and now he feels like he can never do that again, but he’s still going to try.

“Foxy, it’s okay,” Edward spoke softly, not trying to overshadow Lucius’ emotions. “You’re a strong and beautiful man.”

The words Edward spoke were the absolute truth to him. Lucius was and still is beautiful, even when he cried.

“You’re going to be okay. It’s all going to be okay.” Edward leans over the bed and rubs gentle circles on Lucius’ back. “I promise you it will. It just hurts right now, but it will go away.”

“I know I’ll be okay,” he mumbles. “I just need to cry.”

“That’s good. Crying is good so that you let out all the pain.” He continues rubbing Lucius’ back.

“I know.” Lucius lifts his head and looks back at Edward. “But will you leave me alone to do it? I don’t want to cry about losing you while you’re still here rubbing my back.”

“You’re not losing me, Foxy.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Oh… Okay.” Edward took his hand off of Lucius’ back and steps away from the bed. “I’m sorry. If you want I can start sleeping on the couch until I find a new place.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ed. You know you can sleep on the bed.” He buried his face back into the pillows. “Just don’t kiss me anymore, okay?”

“Okay.” Edward feels absolutely useless at this point. He can’t kiss Lucius. He can’t rub his back when he cries. He can’t stay to comfort him in any way. Is this really what he wanted? Did he really want to lose his best friend?

Things are definitely changing, but Edward still hopes that it’s all for the better. He wants to try and see where things with Oswald goes and he can’t do that with Lucius as his boyfriend too.

“I’m not going in to work today,” Lucius softly cries into the pillows. “So you don’t have to worry about me.”

Edward’s brows furrow. How could he say such a thing? “I’m always going to worry about you. No matter what. I’m always going to wonder if you’re okay.”

“Well, you don’t have to anymore,” Lucius whimpers.

With each word that he spoke, Edward felt a dagger enter his back. He wanted to do more than just stand there and watch, but that’s not what Lucius wants. So Edward does his best to make sure Lucius is comfortable and sets up things for him to take care of himself.

“You get lots of rest.” Ed scoots a pillow behind Lucius’ back to keep it supported as he laid on his side. “Drink water.” He’ll bring a glass to the nightstand later. “And please don’t forget to eat.” He’ll also bring a few of those healthy cereal bars Lucius loves and place them next to the water.

“Okay,” Lucius mutters, almost incoherently.

“Can you promise me that?” Edward needs to hear him promise.

After a long pause and drying his tears on the blanket, Lucius finally agrees. “I promise.”

“Thank you, Foxy.” He picks up the clothes they tossed around last night as he makes his way to the closet. “I’m Just going to get a change of clothes and I’ll be out of here.” He knows Lucius needs time to grieve the end of their relationship. What kind of a person would he be if he didn’t let Lucius cry when he desperately needed to?

Lucius didn’t say anything more to Edward. He only curled himself up under the blanket tighter when he heard the closet door open.  

## *  
*  
*

In the middle of downtown Gotham, the truck Oswald hitched a ride on stops behind a Chinese restaurant. Trucks normally never go straight from the docks to a restaurant without the merchandise being shorted and weighed for proper purchasing, but this driver has a shady side deal with the owner of the restaurant. He is to be paid cash for the chef to have the first pick of fish over any other restaurant in Gotham.

When the truck stops, Oswald’s heart skips a beat. He isn’t sure if he’s far enough away from the ocean for him to shed his fin. He hasn’t felt any different below the waist, but that could be because he’s buried in fish.

The driver opens the hatch door and steps into the back of the truck. He picks up a tub, similar to a laundry basket, that’s full of fish he had hand-picked to sell to the chef. He knows what quality and the kind of fish the restaurant specializes in, so he knows that they will pay him top dollar like they always do.

He takes the fish into the restaurant to show them his prized picks and to go over the terms of his payment.

Oswald feels the man jump out the truck and slowly peeks his head out from the mountain of fish. He was all alone and the door was open. He starts to free himself but his fin seem to be caught on something - maybe it’s just the weight of the dead fish?

He uses the cane and links the handle onto one of the meat hooks hanging right above him. He wiggles his body as he pulls himself up and his lower half starts to loosen out from under the weight of the fish. He starts to feel a bit of pressure the harder he pulls, but he keeps on going, determined to be free.

“Ahh…” he grunts, closing his eyes tightly and more of his body slips out from under the fish.

Suddenly, he feels something new at the end of his body…  _Are those toes?_

Now more eager to get out quickly, he grabs onto each side of the cart and uses all his upper body strength to free himself in one fell swoop.

He sits on the edge of the cart, nearly brought to tears at the sight of his new legs. The myth he heard was far from just a story; it was fact.

He quickly digs under the fish to find his tail and pulls out what was left if it. Instead of the hues of bright purple scale it once possessed, it was now gray and muted, crumbling in his hands like ashes.

It was tragic to bear witness to the decay of his tail, but the feeling doesn’t last long when he starts to wiggle his toes.

Oswald laughs gleefully as he looked down at his new body. Those extra parts between his thighs were a little strange. Shouldn’t they be on the inside?… Anyhow, they were the least of his worries. He actually had legs to find his friend and now it was time to get them moving!

Oswald pulls the cane down from the hook and tosses it to the floor. He then rolls out of the cart, hitting the door hard, but he isn’t bothered by the pain at all. He sits up and thinks it might be easier to dress on the floor, so he opens his messenger bag with the hope to find something he could fit.

Inside the bag, there was only clothing that is commonly associated with the female gender. There was nothing more than a summer dress, a black elastic waist skirt, a white tank top, and a pair of flip-flops. Oswald thinks the skirt— though he doesn’t know what it’s really called— will be what’s best suited to cover himself. His new legs are heavy, but he manages to get them through the skirt and pull it up to his waist. He figures the shirt isn’t too small to stretch over his belly so he slips it on too, along with the pink and neon green flip flops on his new feet.

Now all dressed and ready for this new world, Oswald picks up the cane and rises onto his legs for the first time.

He stumbles and staggers a little as he tries to keep his balance, but with the help of the cane, Oswald is limping from on end of the truck to the other. He couldn’t be more proud of his determination.

Having gotten a little more used to walking, Oswald thinks it’s time to start the next part of his journey. He carefully hops out of the back of the truck to do just that.

As he hobbles alongside the truck to get to the end of the alley to find other people, the truck driver steps out of the restaurant, stuffing his cash into his back pocket.

Oswald is thrilled to see the man. It’s his first human contact since becoming one. “Hello, my name is Ossswald. It’s nice to m-meet you.” He extended his hand to shake the other man’s, remembering Edward’s lesson expertly.  

The truck driver takes one look at Oswald, disgusted by his outfit and judges him immediately. “Freak,” he grunts. There’s no logical reason for a man who looks old enough to be his father to be dressed like this in the middle of an alley behind a Chinese restaurant. Other than being a freak.

Oswald blinks, unsure of what that word meant, but he goes ahead and asks the man his question anyway. “I’m looking for Edward N-Nikma. Do you know him?”

“I don’t know anyone you would, buddy.” He closes the hatch doors of the truck, then heads to the front to hop in the driver’s seat.

“W-wait!” Oswald staggers to the door. “Marine b-biology?”

“Are you looking for that Oceanlab?”

“Yes!” Oswald nods enthusiastically.

The truck driver thinks for a moment. This man may look like a freak, but he seems to be a harmless freak. And since this older man seems to have a place he needs to be, the driver thinks he might as well help him get there. He’d hate to hear the news about an old man in a skirt being murder behind a Chinese restaurant.

“Are you good with directions?” The driver asks.

Oswald’s eyes widen and he nods again. Living his entire life under the sea, navigation is a heightened skill of his.

The lab isn’t far from where the restaurant is and the driver gives Oswald precise directions. He explains where to go by using sailor slang— which was actually unintentional. It was a long night out on the sea apparently.

Luckily for Oswald, he knows how far to swim, or walk in this case, when the driver says one or two klicks to the right. Oswald has learned the terms from swimming alongside fishing boats.

Oswald thanks the man for being so kind and he gives him the summer dress as a sign of his appreciation.

Now the driver is completely weirded out. He snatches the dress, though he isn’t quite sure why, and drives out of the ally to make his real stop.

Swelling with even more pride and a sense of direction, Oswald limps his ways to the Gotham Marine Life Laboratories, which is only two miles away, to reunite Edward with his lucky rock.

## *  
*  
*

Crossing the streets is the hardest part of Oswald’s journey, but he makes it through each crosswalk without getting himself hurt or causing anyone else any injuries. All those years of dodging fishing nets are paying off on dry land. Cars are just like boats without the nets.

He takes in some of the sights of the city as he gets closer to Edward’s lab. He never knew that humans could build such tall buildings that touched the sky. He felt like he was walking through a city of sleeping humpback whales.

Almost everyone he passes glares at him much like the truck driver did, but he’s not bothered by the stares as much as he thought he would. They’re just curious about him as much as he is about them.

After the two-mile walk, Oswald finally stands outside of the lab. He peeks inside the glass door and it doesn’t look like anyone is inside. Maybe Ed can’t see him, so he decides to knock on the door.

“Eeedward, it’s me! Let me in!”

When nothing seems to change on the inside, he pulls at the handle of the door.

“Eeedward Nikma!” He shouts.

“Hold on there. Don’t break down the door.”

Oswald gasps when he hears the fruity voice and turns to find a young redhead behind him.

“Hold on, hold on…” She digs in her bag. “I have the key.”

It isn’t out of the ordinary to have new people coming in to take Edward and Lucius’ classes. It’s free and open for anyone who wants to learn a little about marine life and college students to get extra credit for attending them. So it isn’t odd for different people of all ages to come and go from the laboratory.

“He’s a little late, but he gave me a key because he trusts me and I’m his favorite,” she giggles as she turns the key in the door. “I’m Ivy, by the way.”

“Hello, my name is Ossswald. It’s nice to m-meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Oswald.” She holds the door open for him with a kind smile on her face.

He looks at her puzzled. “D-do you know Edward Nikma?”

“Edward Nygma… Of course, I know him. This is his lab. Aren’t you here to take his class?”

“I’m here to r-return something that he lost.”

“Oh… Well, you can still come in. He’ll be here any moment.”

“Th-thank you,” He says with a smile and gimps inside.

“I love your skirt, by the way,” she adds.

Oswald blushes. “Th-thank you again.”

Had she not pointed at it, he wouldn’t have known what she was complimenting him on.

“You can wait out here in the lobby. I’m just gonna turn on a few lights.” She goes down a long hallway to the back room and turns on the power to the lights.

Oswald flinches and his sight is blinded when the lights suddenly flick on. He loses his balance and stumbles back onto a couch behind him.

When Ivy comes back into the lobby, Edward walks through the door. “Thank you for opening up for me. I was running late this morning.”

“It’s not a problem, I understand that when you’re late you have boyfriend issues.”

Edward sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Ugh, I hate that you know that.”

Oswald’s vision starts to adjust to the vivid fluorescent lighting and begins to recognize Edward though the blurriness. “Edward N-Nikma?”

Edward’s eyes widen and he’s frozen in place when he heard that sweet voice so far from the ocean. Should he dare look? Or is his mind playing tricks on him again?

“Edward Nikma it’s me. Ossswald.”

He turns his head to the right and immediately drops his bag to the floor. It really is him. Sitting in his lab with a new pair of legs was the ocean being that captured his heart. “How did you?… What did you?…” He quickly shuffles up to the couch and kneeled on one knee to gaze Oswald in his eyes. “You brilliant, gorgeous, creature.”

Oswald giggles and takes Edward by the hands. “Are you happy to s-see me?”

“I’m astounded to see you here so far away from home.” He scales Oswald’s body up and down. The legs were remarkable. This was all unbelievable and possibly dangerous. “Ivy…” He quickly looks back at her, still holding Oswald’s hands. “I’m canceling class today.”

“But why?” She asks, disappointed. They were supposed to do a project on marine plant life today and she’s been waiting all week for it.

He turns back to Oswald, eyes sparkling with awe, breathing heavily through his mouth. “Boyfriend issues.”

“Ugh, fine!”  She stomps back to the room where she had sat her bag. “You and Dr. Fox really need to work your shit out before coming to the lab. Some people do wanna learn,” she mumbles on her way out of the front door.

“Oh, okay,” he says, nonchalant. “Please lock the door.”

She grumbles to herself, locking the door to the building.

“Oswald,” he sighs sweetly, cupping the mermaid’s plump cheeks. “What are you doing here, beautiful?”

“You left so f-fast yesterday that you forgot your r-rock.”

“My rock?” He tips his head to the left.

“Yes!” Oswald nods and digs in his bag to take out the rock.

“Oh, my rock!” He exclaimed, genuinely surprised to see his rock again. He hadn’t thought about the rock since the beach and he didn’t notice that it wasn’t with him. He was preoccupied with Lucius and everything that happened with the break-up. “You came all this way to bring me my rock… This is the most romantic thing that’s happened to me in a very long time.”

“Rock is important to you. You n-need it all the time.”

“You’re right. I do.” Edward brings Oswald hand to his lips and kisses it dotingly. “And do you know what?” He asks and kisses his hand again. “The rock only proved its luck even more. It brought you to me safely.”

“So I d-did well?”

“You did amazing and I have so many questions for you now, but we should go back to my office first. We need to get away from these windows.”

“Okay.” Oswald smiles and puts the rock in Edward’s hand.

“Are you okay with walking?” He asks. He hasn’t seen Oswald walk yet and the cane he has suggests that it might be difficult for him.

“I can walk,” Oswald assures him. “I walked th-three klicks to get here,” he says proudly.

“Klicks?….Kilometers?” Edward is stunned once again. “You know the measurements of distance?”

Oswald nods, a wide grin on his face. “I n-navigate.”

“That’s right! You do!… You navigate everywhere you go in the ocean.” He stands up and helps Oswald from the couch. “Let’s go to the office so we can talk more.” He holds Oswald’s cane and allows Oswald to lean on him for support, with his hand on the small of his back. “I love your clothes, by the way. Every mermaid movie or tv show in Hollywood has them walking the streets naked. People get arrested for that in reality, but not you. Apparently, real mermaids are smarter than that.”

“I b-blend into a new environment like an octopus.”

“You certainly do.”

## *  
*  
*

After keeping Oswald from tapping on all the glasses of the fish tanks down the hall— Oswald has never seen fish in their very own private ocean, they looked so happy— Edward finally gets him comfortably settle on the couch in his office.

“You definitely have a lot of energy,” Edward says as he sits down next to Oswald.

The merman immediately wraps his arms around Edward, hugging him warmly - can’t get enough of touching him. He’s overwhelmingly excited about being on dry land with Edward.

“My body f-feels so strangely,” Oswald says and smells Edward’s neck, taking in a scent he’s never smelt before. There are no hints of salt water on Edward’s flesh. His aroma is something fresh and new and he has no idea what to call it, but he loves it.  

“I’m sure it does.” Edward chuckles, blushing bashfully to the tip of his ears. Oswald has never been this touchy before. He can get used to his gallivanting hands, but instead of melding into Oswald’s phenomenal touch, Edward clears his throat and shifts in his seat to keep himself calm. “Can we talk about your body for a moment?” He asks, removing Oswald’s traveling hands from dipping under his jacket.

Oswald was just curious about all the layers of clothing. He didn’t know that Edward wore so many shirts away from the sea. He’s only seen him in a t-shirt and a pair of swim trunks.

“I like your c-clothes.” He brushes his hand over Edward’s shoulder and examines the fabric more by leaning in to get a closer look.

“Thank you, Oswald,” Edward says throaty, suppressing the laughter from Oswald’s unintentional tickling. He then takes both of Oswald’s hands to get his undivided attention and holds them down on his lap.

He wants Oswald to be able to explore all the new things outside of the water, but they need to discuss how he got here and how he gained a new pair of legs first.

“I know that you’re excited that you’re in a new world, but I need you to try to calm down. There are things I need to know and only you can tell me.”

Oswald lowers his head and apologizes, “I’m sorry.” He didn’t mean to upset Edward with his enthusiasm.

“Don’t be sorry,” Edward says hushed and gently brushes Oswald’s hair out of his face by tucking it behind his ear. “You can’t help that you’re excited, but can you try to focus for me please?”

Oswald looks up at Edward with a smile. “Yes.” He nobs.

“Thank you.” Edward lifts Oswald’s left hand to his lips and gifts him with a kiss. “Now, about your tail. What happened to it?”

“It cr-crumbled away.”

“It did?” Edward asks, eyes widening in shock. Parts of the body can’t just crumble away. “How?”

“B-because of a story. Th-the story was true.”

“What story, Oswald?”

“The story of my people, m-mermaid—“ he points to himself— “becoming human away from the ocean. I d-didn’t know it was true before today.”

“Wait a second.” Edward removes his glasses and rubs his eyes, wrapping his mind around what he’s just heard. “So you left—“ he put his glasses back on— “the water without really knowing if you’d get legs or not?”

“Yes!” Oswald says, overly excited.

Edward places his hands on Oswald’s face and looks him squarely in the eyes. “Oswald, what you did was unbelievably courageous, but also dangerous,” he spoke with concern in his voice. The thought of Oswald being hurt or caught turned his stomach. He can’t imagine the kind of things that could have been done to him. “You could have been caught. Or maybe your tail wouldn’t have crumbled away and you wouldn’t have your legs. You would have been stuck and I would have lost you.”

Oswald doesn’t understand why Edward is concerned about what might have happened instead of what did happen. He was alive and he found Edward. He thinks that’s what should really matter.

“B-but that’s not what happened,” the mermaid protests. “I am here with you. I t-took care of myself.”

The expression of worry falls from Edward’s face when he heard the passion in Oswald’s voice. He was absolutely right. What might have happened doesn’t matter at all. They were together and he should be happy about that instead.

“You’re right,” Edward says softly, smiling at Oswald dotingly. “You did take care of yourself and navigated through a world you’ve never been to, and you found me. You are the most incredible being I’ve never known and you amaze me every single day.”

Oswald’s face blooms with color and rests his head on Edward’s shoulder. He knew Edward would be proud of him too.

“Oh, Oswald.” He combs his fingers through his long silver hair. It felt so wonderful to hold him this way, sitting in his office on a couch. He never thought this would happen. “But can you tell me more?” He asks. “I need to know every detail from when you left the ocean to when you came here.”

Oswald lifts his head and nods. “Okay.”

He tells Edward everything about his venture through the city. He shares how he got on to the fish truck. Tells the story of the truck driver who called him a freak. Then the strange land boats that almost hit him, and finally the nice girl that invited him into the lab. He spoke in great detail, not leaving a single moment out.

Edward was astounded to hear such a strange and amazing story. Oswald was braver than he knew.

“You’ve had quite the adventure just to bring me my rock,”  Edward chortles, wrapping his arms around Oswald and holds him close again. “You have so much bravery and strength.” He kisses the crown of Oswald’s head once, and then twice.

Oswald had no doubt that he’d find Edward. When he wants something, he does what needs to be done to get it.

Edward sighs contently resting his head on Oswald’s. “So how long can you stay like this?” He asks, rubbing Oswald soothing on the back.

Oswald doesn’t think his condition is permanent. He is a mermaid after all and his home is the ocean. He can’t possibly live without it, can he?

“I d-don’t know,” Oswald answers honestly. “My body m-might tell me.”

Edward nods understandably. It makes perfect sense for Oswald’s body to show signs of needing to return to the sea. “The body is usually good at letting you know it needs something. So please don’t hesitate to tell me you need to go back home and I’ll get you there as fast as I can.”

“I will,” Oswald promises. “B-but all I need right now is to st-stay with you.”

“That’s an easy request.” Edward kisses Oswald gently on the lips and slowly starts to lay him down on the couch, deepening their kiss. Even away from the sea, Oswald still tastes of salt water.

“Mmm…” Oswald buries his hands in Edward’s hair. This is a more intense kiss than the ones they’ve shared before and Oswald hopes he’s doing it right. “Edward…” He breathes between the pressing of their lips.

Oswald’s body trembles, as Edward, slips his right hand under Oswald’s thigh and firmly squeezes him, coxing another whimper from the mermaid. “Ah…”

Edward smiles as he continues to kiss him and caresses his thigh. He can only imagine how euphoric Oswald must be feeling with all of these new sensations around him.

Oswald slides his hands down Edward’s back, wrapping his right legs around him. He isn’t sure why he’s done this, but it just felt right.

Being in Edward’s embrace like this, Oswald can’t help but wonder if this was the start of them being partners. “You’ve… kissed me… so many times,” he breathes between kisses.

Edward moans, nipping sweetly on Oswald’s bottom lip.

“Does… this mean… we can be mates now?”  Oswald asks.

Edward suddenly stopped kissing and gazes into Oswald’s stunning green eyes. He should have mentioned something about this sooner. He sits up from the couch and helps Oswald up as well. There’s something else important they need to talk about.

“Yes and no,” Edward finally answers.

Oswald tilts his head slightly. An answer to a question can’t be yes and no. “What d-does that mean?”

Edward holds his hand and takes a deep breath before giving the reason for his answer. “Lucius and I broke up last night.”

“Oh, that’s a t-terrible thing.” Oswald knew that this was going to happen, but is it’s still sad to know that love can fail for others.

“It is a terrible thing and that’s why he’s very heartbroken about it.”

“Are you h-heartbroken too?” Oswald asks.

“Yes,” he answers truthfully. Though he’s here and happy to be with Oswald, there’s a hollowness in his heart from losing Lucius. “I loved him very much. He was the first person I ever really loved. He was my best friend, a teacher to me, a partner in business and marine biology. He changed my life and made it better.” His voice is thick with emotion and his eyes are misty with tears. “Falling out of love with him was devastating. The way I started to feel wasn’t planned. I wish I could still be with him, but I can’t. He doesn’t make me feel the way I used to.”

“I’m s-sorry you lost your first love,” Oswald says, lightly squeezing Edward’s hand.

“That’s very sweet of you to say, Oswald. Thank you.” Edward touches Oswald cheek gently with the back of his free hand. “There’s a reason I said yes and no about us being mates,” he adds, then tries to explain the situation the best he knows how. “There are things I have to do to make sure that he and I move past this and we can still remain friends. If he sees me like this with you, I’d really lose him and I can’t lose his friendship. It’s very important to me. So he can’t see you, not yet at least. Not until I find my own place to live.”

“So I’m a s-secret?” Oswald slips his hand out of Edward’s. He really didn’t come all this way to be hidden away from the world. He spent his life staying away from humans and he thought when he became one that he’ll get to be close to them. He wanted to see how life really was outside of the water and everything he’s seen so far has been unbelievable. He doesn’t want that to end.

“Does it bother you being a little secret?” Edward can tell this pained Oswald’s heart by the look on his face.

Oswald turns away from Edward and gazes down at his hands folded together. “I d-don’t know.” He shrugs.

“You’re not a bad secret.” Edward slowly turns Oswald’s head to face him. “When people break up, they need time to grieve and get over the person that they’ve lost. People move on from a relationship at their own pace and there’s nothing wrong with that… Lucius is very strong-willed and he isn’t going to let me be the reason he gives up on life. He still has things he wants to do and I know he’s going to do them. He just needs a little time to feel sad so that he can go back to being himself again. I have to give him time for that. I don’t want him to think that the time we had together meant nothing.”

It’s all a complicated matter, but Edward feels this is the right way to do it so that no one gets hurt more than they already are.

“So if I show up with you the night after we broke up,” Ed goes on to say. “That would be a terrible thing to do and it would just cause more unnecessary pain to Lucius. I don’t want to break his heart more than I already have.”  

Oswald nods. He thinks he’s starting to understand. Humans are very complex creatures.

“I probably wouldn’t even be thinking about dating anyone right now if I hadn’t met you.” With his hand under Oswald’s chin, Edward slowly grazes his thumb over Oswald’s smooth bottom lip. “You’ve captivated me in a way I never saw coming. The night that we met, I stared at that rock and thought about you. I knew I wanted to be with you after such a brief conversation. That’s never happened to me before…. The way I feel about you and how I make you feel is the reason why I have to do things this way. So that there aren’t any complications later. I want Lucius to know you for who and what you really are. He wouldn’t what to get to know you if he thinks you’re just a replacement for him.”

“I’m not a r-replacement.”

“No, you’re not—“ Edward cups the nape of Oswald’s neck and touches their foreheads together— “and I don’t want him to see you that way.”

“Do I have to be a s-secret to the whole world?” Oswald asks, emotion edging his voice. “Will you hide m-me, the human me, from everyone else too?”

“No,” Edward answer swiftly. “You’re only a secret in the little world I’m still stuck in with Lucius, but once I get my own place to live, you won’t be a secret to anyone anymore. Everyone will see how much I care about you.”

Though it was bittersweet that they still can’t truly be together, Oswald trusted that Edward was doing the right thing. “Okay.”

“So you understand now?”

“Yes, I th-think so.”

“Thank you, Oswald, for being so patient with me while I get my life back together.” Edward gently caresses Oswald’s cheek as he kisses him tenderly. “You won’t have long to wait, I promise you,” he adds, lips brushing gently over Oswald’s. “I’m going to look for an apartment today and I already have an idea on where I want to live. There are a few lofts on Grundy Street that I think might be affordable.”

Oswald slowly nods. He doesn’t know what a loft is or Grundy Street is, but he still has hope Ed will find what he needs.

“Hey, you gorgeous creature,” he says soft-spoken. “Please don’t pout. I promise myself to you.”

“I just wish you were m-mine now.”

“I am yours,” Edward assures him. “I’m not dating Lucius. I’m not in love with him anymore. I’m falling you. I’m yours.”

“You are?”

“Yes, I am.”

Oswald’s eyes sparkle and he hugs Edward the tightest he ever has.

“Oh, there you are.” Edward hugs him, relieved to have the happy merman back. “How about we forget about my past relationship and focus on us,” he suggests and pulls out of Oswald’s arms. “You’re in a new world now,” he says with a smile, changing the subject to a lighter matter. “What do you want to do in it?”

Oswald thinks for a moment, looking around Edward’s office. There were so many things he’s never seen before and a lot of fish in their own little oceans. He never really knew what humans did with the fish they took out of the water.

“I want to learn about th-this place,” Oswald says eventually. “You never listened to m-my heart yesterday. We can d-do that, and also—“ he rubbed his belly as it suddenly starts to grumble— “I need food.” He hasn’t eaten anything since the lobster he had for breakfast.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were hungry. I’m sorry.” Edward wished he would have offered Oswald something to eat or drink sooner. He should have known Oswald would be hungry after his long adventure. “What would you like to eat?”

“Octopus are m-my favorite.”

“I should have guessed with how satisfied you looked eating that octopus yesterday,” Edward chuckles. Swimming with Oswald was a surreal experience.

“Th-they taste so good!”

“They do actually, but I like mine cooked… Oh, hey…” He suddenly remembered one of his lab projects. “I actually grow octopus here. They are for my own personal project. I didn’t plan on anyone eating them, but I’ll be happy to give them to you.”

“You’d give th-them to me?” Oswald has always had to hunt for his food, so just being given food was a strange concept.  

“Yes, I would… That is if you don’t want to try anything new,” Edward gently suggests. Oswald is on dry land after all and he could eat something he’s never seen or heard of before. “There are many different kinds food here - a lot more than just fish. Have you ever heard of a cow?”

“No,” Oswald answers, shaking his head.

“What about a chicken?” Edward asks playfully.

“No.”

“Chocolate?” He smiles brightly at the mermaid and winks, knowing that none of those items have been in his diet.

“No,” Oswald says giggling.

“How about we get you all three?”

“I can really have th-them all?”

“Yes!” Edward says. “There’s a restaurant we can go to that I walk to for lunch all the time. They have amazing cheeseburgers, chicken wings, and chocolate cake!”  

Oswald has no clue what any those things are, but their names are rumbling his stomach with a craving for them.

Edward laughed when he heard Oswald’s stomach growling again. “You really like the sound of that.”

“Yes! Let’s go get them! ” Oswald quickly stands up, but loses his balance and falls back down on the couch. His legs weren’t quite really for the sudden movement.

Edward laughs again. It was adorable the way Oswald’s body plopped back down. He then stands up after calming his snickers and slowly helps Oswald to his feet.

A smile curls on Edward’s face after getting another full view of Oswald standing. This whole time he hadn’t paid much attention to the mermaid’s clothing. Edward doesn’t think he should really go out in a skirt again. Everyone before must have been staring at him.

“Though I think your outfit is very cute,” Edward complements. “I think we should try to get you something else to wear.”

“Th-this was all I had.”

“I know it was.” Edward picked up Oswald’s cane and hands it to him so he can lean against it for support. “I have an extra suit that I keep here— well, Lucius and I both do— but I don’t think you can fit them.” He goes to the closet and opens the door. “We’re both so tall and thin, and you… you’re so…” He clears his throat instead of mentioning Oswald’s short stature and his larger body type - all of which Edward adores, by the way. “We can try and cover you with a lab coat.” He takes out two lab coats from the closet. “And look—“ he turns to face Oswald— “I’ll even wear one too.”

Oswald smiles when Edward draped the coat over his shoulders. “We’re g-going to look the same.”

“Yes, I know.” Edward buttons up Oswald’s coat. “It’s it funny.”

“It’s strange.”

“I just don’t want you to get unnecessary attention.” Edward puts his lab coat on after helping Oswald with his.

“I understand.”

“Come on.” He wraps his arm around Oswald so he can lean against him as they walk. “Let’s go fill your belly.”

Just as the men are walking out of the office, Edward’s phone begins to buzz in his pocket and he stops for a moment. “Hold on a just second. I have to check this in case it’s Lucius. He wasn’t in very good shape when I left this morning.”

Oswald nods. He understands that Edward still has responsibilities with Lucius.

Edward pulls out his phone to read and respond to the text.

> _My Sexy Foxy: Edward?_
> 
> _Me: Yes?_
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: Wow! You text back pretty quickly now that we’re not together._

Edward rolls his eyes as he types.

> _Me: I’m glad that it appears like you’re feeling a little better, but I don’t need your passive aggression right now. Did you want something?_
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: Yes._
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: To let you know we have a lunch meeting with Mayor Galavan and Dr. Hugo Strange tomorrow._
> 
> _Me: Dr. Strange? Why is he going to be there? This is a meeting about getting a grant it’s not a human dissection._
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: I don’t know but he’s going to be there. I knew you wouldn’t be too happy about it. I bet this makes you wish you showed up to that party last night._
> 
> _Me: Passive aggressive much?_
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: Sorry, but you broke my heart and I’m letting out a bit of steam._
> 
> _Me: I’m not sitting down and having lunch with that quack._
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: I’m not a fan of his work either, but this is what we have to do. Just suck it up, Eddie._

Edward locks his phone and stuffs it back into his pocket.

“Is everything okay?” Oswald asks, instantly taking notice of Edward being a little annoyed.

“Yes, it’s fine.” He wraps his arm around Oswald again and opens the door. “I just have to have lunch with someone I have zero respect for.”

“Why?” He asks as they walk down the hall to exit the building.

“To get the money for my research,” Edward answers. “But it’s really not a big deal, I suppose. I’ll  _just suck it up_.” He repeated Lucius’ words with an irked grimace.

“You can get th-through it, Edward. I b-believe in you.”

Edward smiles and kisses Oswald on the cheek before unlocking the entrance door. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

## *  
*  
*

It was awkward for Oswald to sit down in a restaurant to eat, but the experience was exciting. He may have gone a little overboard when ordering the food, but he wanted to taste as many different flavors as possible. He watches and observed the people around them on their eating habits. He wanted to do things as humanly as possible so that he didn’t draw attention.

When the food arrived at the table, Oswald felt overwhelmed with which dish to start out with first. Everything looked and smelled delicious.

Edward watched Oswald adoringly as he tried his best to fit in like a human, but it was clear that Oswald wasn’t of this word when he had no clue how to drink from a glass without spilling the contents. However, Edward helps Oswald and shows him how to use the eating utensils, even cutting his steak to make it easier to eat. He enjoyed helping Oswald and their time together.

After trying everything he ordered, Oswald was stuffed and could hardly move. His stomach was tighter than it’s ever been. Edward gave him a soothing belly rub to help him feel a little better so that they could walk back to the lab together.

## *  
*  
*

Now back at the marine life laboratory, Edward gives Oswald a tour of the building and explains the work they do to help preserve Gotham’s ocean life. He then has Oswald sit on top of one of the lab tables so that he can finally check his vitals.

“I’ve started writing a report about you,” Edward admits as he takes a stethoscope out of the drawer of the table Oswald is sitting on. “It’s just notes of what I’ve observed about you and I’m going to write down what I’ve learned today. I hope you don’t mind or think that I’m using you like a lab rat because I’m not. I’m just curious about you and your people and I want to learn more. I won’t show them to anyone, of course, except Lucius sometime down the line.”

“I don’t th-think you’re using me,” Oswald assures him. “I understand your c-curiosity. I’m curious about you too.”

Edward smiles and lays the scope on Oswald’s chest. He listens to the mermaid’s heart for the first time and it had a strong and steady rhythm. “What is it that you’re curious about?” He asks and writes down what he heard on a notepad.

“Right now…” Oswald’s voice is timid and his cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. “Your body,” he reveals, nervously scratching the back of his head. “Mine ch-changed today and I… saw things. I’m wondering if y-yours was the same.”

Edward shot Oswald a sly look and he licks his lips. “Well, it should be the same.”

“Can I see?”

He chuckles and steps back from the table. Oswald certainly was curious. Edward thought about it for an instant before giving Oswald an answer. “Okay, you can see.” He smiles with a gleam in his eyes as he unties the windsor knot of his emerald tie.

Oswald grew more anxious as Edward started to unbutton his shirt.

“You’ve seen me like this.” He takes off his shirt and jacket together and lays them neatly on the table. “But you want to see more.” He unlatches the buckle of his black leather belt, then unbuttons and unzips the pants.

Oswald’s heart rate skyrocketed watching Edward slowly lose one article of clothing after another. The room suddenly felt twenty degrees warmer as hot blood surged through his body. He isn’t quite sure what’s happening to him and it’s a little frightening.

“Are you okay, Oswald?” Edward asks, zipping his pants back up. Maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to show Oswald his body so quickly, but he was interested and wanted that adrenaline rush. “You’re looking very flustered.”

Oswald’s body trembles as he wiped his sweaty palms on his skirt. “I’m f-fine… My body just feels st-strange.”

“Do you need to go back to the ocean?” Edward steps back up to the table and cups Oswald’s cheek, gazing into his eyes with concern. He face was so warm. Maybe he really needs to go back.

“No.” Oswald shakes his head. “I d-don’t think it’s that.”

Edward’s eyes scaled Oswald’s body and he takes notice of the slight bulge in the skirt. “Oh! I know what’s happening.” He lays his hands on Oswald’s shoulders. “You’re just feeling aroused.”

“Is that a b-bad thing?”

“No, it’s a good thing. It means you really like me and your body is just expressing that,” Edward explains.

“Oh, I see.”

“When you had your fin, did you ever felt like you wanted to have sex?” He asks, hoping to get a bit of insight on the sexual behavior of a mermaid.

“I never felt th-that way for anyone.”

“That’s okay.” Edward nods. “Well, your body was just saying that you liked what you were seeing. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you want to have sex. You don’t have to do that every time you’re aroused… Does that make sense to you?”

“Yes, and I think I m-might have felt this way about you before we met, b-but it’s different with my tail,” Oswald states. His body didn’t react as actively as it had today. That might have been because Edward wasn’t undressing at the time. “I d-didn’t get sweaty when I watched you on the other times you’ve b-been to the beach.”

“You’ve watched me more than once?” Edward blinks.

“Yes,” Oswald confesses. “I th-think it was four other times before.”

“Huh…” Edward huffed. It’s a pleasant surprise to learn that all that time there was a mermaid thinking about him. “I think that’s why we connect so quickly. We both wanted the same thing.”

Oswald nods, smiling at Edward.

Now that he knows that Oswald is perfectly fine and was just experiencing normal human emotions, Edward is more than willing to continue undressing to satisfy Oswald’s curiosity. “So… do you still want to see my body?” He asks, stepping back from the table again.

Oswald lowers his head bashfully. He’s too embarrassed to go on knowing how it would make him feel. “I d-didn’t know I this was g-going to happen just by watching you.” He gazes back up at Edward. “I don’t th-think I’m ready.”

“That’s okay,” Edward says, completely supporting Oswald’s decision. “I only want  you to do things you’re sure of.”

“Alright.” Oswald reaches out for Edward’s hand and Edward immediately takes hold of it. “What now?” He asks.

“Well, we can finish checking your vitals and— if you’ll allow me— I can draw a bit of blood for a few tests I can run later. We can just go from there and see where the rest of the day takes us.”

“You still have to f-find a loft to live,” Oswald kindly reminds him.

“You’re right I do.” Edward leans in and kisses Oswald sweetly on the lips. “We can look at a few together and make sure they have enough room for you since you’ll be coming up on dry land a little more often.”

“Will you m-make me my own little ocean like you d-do for the fish here?”

“Huh…” Edward turns his head away in thought.

Building a tank for Oswald isn’t a horrible idea. He’ll get to watch him closely, keep him safe, and feed him a healthy diet of octopus whenever Oswald wanted. He’ll have to abandon his octopus project and turn it into a farm, but that’s just a small con on top of a mountain of pros. Maybe he could swindle a little extra cash from the mayor and sell a ‘new’ research project - which he’ll actually use the money on building Oswald’s aquarium. No… This wasn’t a bad idea at all. This idea was fucking brilliant!

“Yes, Oswald.” He looks back at Oswald with a crazed gleam in his eyes. “I can do that for you. I definitely can.”


	4. Strange Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oswald spends his first night away from the ocean in a hotel room Edward had rented for them. Edward goes back to Lucius’ apartment to collect personal items for himself. He returns to the hotel room to find that Oswald in a dire state. Later, Edward and Lucius attend the lunch meeting with Mayor Galavan and Dr. Hugo Strange for a forty-thousand dollar grant for research at the marine lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned to work on something else, but this story kept screaming at me to write it, So here it is. I think it came out pretty good and this chapter is setting up for more plot. Poor little Oswald will be the center of attention soon, and not just for Edward. Please like, comment, or reblog if you enjoyed this chapter. Happy reading!

## Part Four: Strange Doctor

Edward still couldn’t believe that he has spent his day on land with a real merman who could shed his fin to grow a new pair of magical legs. He already thought Oswald was the most beautiful creature he has ever seen, but now he’s even more enchanted by him and his ability to travel between two worlds.

To help this mystical being to blend in better within the human world, Edward withdrew some money from his savings account to buy Oswald a few casual clothes and a suit so that he doesn’t have to walk around Gotham City in a skirt and tank top. As cute as Edward thought he looked in his ocean rags, it did cause unnecessary glares. Even in Gotham eccentric older men still, draw attention.

After getting Oswald into some comfortable and rather stylish new threads— Oswald loves the purple and gray pinstriped suit since the vertical lines reminded him of the kelp forest— Edward then shows Oswald some of the touristy and artsy parts of the city to keep him away from the gritty side of Gotham for which this city is mostly known for. Since Oswald has never been anywhere other than the ocean, Edward knows he would enjoy any place he takes him.

They also take a tour of a few of the apartment buildings Edward thinks could be a good place to move. He and Oswald both agreed on a top floor loft that isn’t far from the ocean. It has the perfect open floor plan and more than enough space for Edward to build an aquarium, unlike anything he’s ever made before. He wants this habitat to feel like a second home for Oswald, but of course, not a permanent one from the freedom of the sea. This aquarium is to keep Oswald comfortable in the apartment and for him to stay with Edward longer without the worry of suddenly having to rush him back to the waters. Edward already has a design plan that will allow Oswald to enter and exit the environment on his own. It will take some time to get it all finish, but that’s the least of Edward’s worries. The money will be more difficult to obtain. How is he going to convince the mayor of the city to cough up almost double the amount of money that he and Lucius were originally asking for?

As the day turns into evening, Edward settles Oswald in a room at the Gotham View Hotel. It’s the same place he and Lucius had spent a weekend for Lucius’ birthday. Since Edward had already stayed here once before, he knows Oswald will be perfectly safe while he rushes back home to the apartment he still stares with Lucius. He needs to retrieve some personal item and the documents for tomorrow’s business lunch so he can stay the night with Oswald at the hotel.

“Are you s-sure I can stay here while you’re gone?” Oswald anxiously follows Edward to the door like a little-lost sea lion. “P-people don’t live here, right?”

Edward turns back to him and holds his fidgety hands. “No, Oswald,” he explains again. “This room is nobody's home. A hotel is where people can borrow a room and stay there for a few days. Now, I’ve paid for this room and it belongs to you and me for the next several days. Do you understand now?”

“Yes, I do … I’m sorry. I just a little sc-scare that you're leaving.”

“I know and I don’t want to leave without you, but I have to. I need to get some clothes and the stuff I need for the lunch meeting tomorrow,” Edward spoke soothingly, holding Oswald’s hands devotedly. “Right now and lunch tomorrow are the only times I’m going to be away from you. You have to learn to be on your own just like back at home. I know you're always alone in the ocean so this shouldn’t be any different.”

“I'm n-not always alone in the ocean. I have friends and p-people I think of as family. So being left alone here is d-different than home.”

Edward frowns, his brows furrow. He didn’t mean to assume that Oswald didn’t have others in his circle. “I’m sorry. That was presumptuous for me to say. I should have known better than to think that you’re always out there alone. I think I just said that because you’re the only one I’ve seen.”

“Th-there are a lot of us, Edward.”

“I know… I know.” Edward guides Oswald back to the bed and sits down beside him. “I’m only trying to explain that nothing is going to happen to you as long as you stay in the room.” He gives him a kiss on the cheek. “What happened to that beautiful merman who traveled miles away from the ocean alone just to find me? You were so brave. You could be brave now”

“I am still here. It’s just that I f-found you and I d-don’t want to be away from you again.”

“I don’t want to be away from you either, but I have to be. I can’t take you to Lucius’ place. You remember what I said about us breaking up?”

“Yes,” Oswald mumbles. “I am the secret.”

“Oh, gorgeous creature, don’t say it like that. You make us sound like we’re doing something bad.” Edward sighs and kisses Oswald on the cheek again and again. He’s starting to learn that it will be very difficult to tell this stunning sea being no. “Okay, okay,” he whispers, cupping Oswald’s cheek. “If you really want to come with me, you can”

“Yes, I d-do want to come with you, but I know I sh-shouldn’t.” Oswald gazes down at their fingers laced together. “I should stay here as you asked. I d-don’t want you to hurt Lucius again if he sees that you’re with me. I want you to keep his friendship and I d-don’t what him to feel jealous.”

Edward smiles and he lifts Oswald’s head to gaze into the myriad of ocean-green hues dancing in the mermaid’s eyes. “You are the purest thing in this world, Oswald. Did you know that?”

“No.” He shakes his head.

“I’m going to make sure that you do every day that we are together.”

Oswald beams, aged, freckled cheeks blooming vibrantly.

“I promise you. I won’t be gone long. I promise.”

“I know you won’t.”

“Why don’t you lay down and have a nap while I’m gone,” Edward kindly suggests. “You’ve had a long and eventful day. I think a nap is just what you need.”

“A n-nap sounds nice.”

“And when you wake up, I’ll be back and you’d never have to feel one moment of that loneliness.”

“Okay.” Oswald agrees then lays down on the bed and Edward covers him in the blanket. “Will you st-stay until I fall asleep?”

“Of course I will.” Edward lays down beside him and holds Oswald in his arms. It takes a few moments, but the merman has had an adventurous day and he falls fast asleep in no time.

##  ***  
** ***  
** *****

When Oswald fell asleep, Edward quickly left the hotel room and locked the door behind him, leaving the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the doorknob. He then heads out to his car and drives as quickly as he can to the apartment.

He arrives at the apartment and opens the door to find Lucius sitting at the couch with a stack of papers on the coffee table.

“Hey,” Edward says, frozen at the door.

Lucius peeks up briefly. “Hey, to you too,” he replies and turns his attention back to his work.

Edward steps into the apartment and closes the door. There’s a thick cloud of awkwardness flowing through the air that has ever existed between them.

“I wasn’t waiting up for you,” Lucius makes clear, shuffling a few papers together. “If that’s what you are thinking,” he adds.

“I was thinking that a little.” Edward goes into the kitchen and takes a strawberry soda out of the refrigerator. He cracks it open and takes a drink.

“Well, don't flatter yourself, Edward. There’s a lot of data and research to gather together for lunch tomorrow that could change both of our careers. So I think that’s more important than a break-up.”

“I agree.” Edward nods and takes another sip from the can.“That’s why I’m here. I came for my research papers, my laptop, and a few changes of clothes.”

“Clothes?” Lucius turns in his seat and glares at Edward in the kitchen. “Why do you need clothes? I meant it when I said there was no rush for you to leave.”

“I know, but I have to stay somewhere else,” Edward confesses. “I need to stay somewhere else. I can’t let what happened this morning happen again.” He rests his soda can on the kitchen counter and heads toward the bedroom.

Kissing Lucius awake and wanting to snuggle with him in bed were far too many mixed signals. It’s inappropriate behavior for someone seeking to end a relationship.

“If you can’t keep your hands off of me, then why are you leaving me?” Lucius asks.

“You know why, Foxy,” Edward sighs, stopping in his tracks. “We’re no good for each other any more… We smother each other. We’re doing it now.” He circles to face him. “I’ve stopped you from doing your work and you’ve stopped me from gathering mine. We can stand here and go back and forth over trivial things for hours. It’s not healthy.”

Lucius has noticed changes in Edward lately. He’s noticed them almost two months ago when Edward stopped paying attention to him, but even more so since the day he came home with that odd little sea stone. Edward is always happy when he gazes upon it.

He squints at Edward, tipping his head slightly to the right. “I think I get it now.”

Edward takes off his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Get what?” he breathes out heavily.

“You…” He glances down, twisting his finger around the frilly fabric on one of the decorative couch pillows. “You have a pattern, Mr. Nygma.” He looks back up at Edward. “You’ve found someone else.”

Edward’s cheeks suddenly burn with color from embarrassment and he quickly puts his glasses back on. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he says defensively and swiftly turns into the bedroom to start packing an overnight bag.

Lucius stands from the couch and follows Edward into the room. “It makes sense, Ed… And you know what? I’m not upset. You don’t like to be alone. I get it. You started dating me four days after you broke it off with Isabella.”

“Yes!” Edward rips his close off the hanger in the closet and storms to the bed to stuff them in the bag. “I did do that and it was a mistake!”

Edward didn’t want to come here for an argument or have to explain the actions of his past. He messed up the way he ended things with Isabella and he’s going to do all that he can to not let it happen again. He wants to remain friends with Lucius. He can’t lose everyone in his life.

He leers up at Lucius, haphazardly filling up his bag. “Isabella hates me right now because of how things ended, and for how quickly I found comfort in you. I don’t what that to happen to us. I still want us to be friends. You know how hard it is for me to make them.”

“Yes,” Lucius nods. “I do know that. Which is something I guess I’ve never understood. I probably it’s because you tend to date your friends.”

Edward sighs and steps up to the dresser to gather clean socks and underwear. “I can’t believe you just said that,” he huffs under his breath and turns back to the bed to put the clothing in the bag.

“Well, it’s true.” Lucius crosses his arms.  “Lee Thompkins, Isabella, me… I’m just the one you had longer.”

Edward rubs his trembles, trying to counteract a migraine from approaching. He isn’t sure what’s bringing it up more. The fact that Lucius thinks he knows that Edward has found someone else— or, the lies he’s telling to hide that Lucius is right just so he can keep their friendship.

“I don’t have anyone else! So can that be the end of all this suspicion?!” Ed suddenly explodes, dropping his arms down at his sides. “Can we please just fucking drop it?!”  

Knowing that this conversation must be sheer torture for Edward, Lucius agrees and lets it go. “Fine.” He shrugs his left shoulder.

“Thank you,” Edward says relieved. “We’re both just feeding off of negativity. This isn’t like us. That’s why I have to go.”

“I guess I’m just trying to make up theories for something I already know the answer too. I know and understand why we broke up. I shouldn’t be here shoving it down your throat after we came to a mutual understanding.”

“I agree. The way we ended things last night was beautiful and there’s no reason to spoil it by digging into the past. We have to move forward.

Lucius nods to agree and steps up to the bed, standing beside Edward. “The smothering thing, that is what we do and we've been doing it for such a lot time.” He unzips Edward’s bag and helps to straighten the clothing.

The way Edward packed the garments will surely be wrinkled if he’s wearing any of them for tomorrow’s meeting. It’s his fault Edward packed them this way in the first place. He might as well help him fix it.

“You leaving now—“ Lucius neatly folds a white dress shirt— “is probably what’s best for us. It will give us both time to cool down so we can just be friends again.”

“I’m glad you’re willing to admit that.”

“I am.” He takes out Edward’s emerald suit pants and folds them as well. “If it makes you feel any better, two weeks seems like a good enough time to avoid the Isabella thing. Then I don't care who you date or when you date.”

Edward chuckles softly, giving Lucius a small grin. “Okay.”

“Okay, then.” Lucius smiles back and lightly shoulder bumps with Ed as he rolls his ties.

“You don’t have to do this, Foxy. I’m just going to unpack everything when I get to….” he pauses, unsure if he should tell Lucius where he’s staying or if Lucius even cares to know.

“So you’re not going to tell me where you’re saying? I’ll be worried about you if I don’t know.”

“I thought you said one of the benefits of breaking up was not worrying about each other?” Edward says jokingly.

“That was just the heartbreak talking. I think I’ll always worry about you, Mr. Nygma.”

Edward smiles and takes Lucius’ hand to gift it with a kiss. Relieved to know that he didn’t mean everything he said this morning. “Well, to eases your mind I’m staying at the Gotham View.”

“Where we spent my birthday?” Lucius asks to make sure he remembers the right place.

“Yes,” he confirms. “It’s the safest hotel in the city I think. So you don’t have to worry.”

Lucius slips his hand out Edward’s hold and continues straightening the overnight bag. He was going to mention something about Ed kissing him, but he’ll just let this one pass. “Thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome.” Edward did take notice of the slight grimace on Lucius’ face when he pulled his hand away. He shouldn’t have kissed him. He needs to get used to the list of things he can’t do anymore. “I’m sorry about the kiss. I’m still working on that. Staying somewhere else will help me with that immensely.”

“That’s alright,” Lucius assures him. “No harm was done. I know that old habits die hard.”

##  ***  
** ***  
** *****

Edward returns to the hotel room after gathering enough clothes for several days and all of his research for tomorrow’s meeting. He was gone a little longer than he had liked, but straightening things out with Lucius was important as well. Though he hated the fact that he lied to his ex about finding comfort in another person, Edward honestly believes it will work out for the better to keep the knowledge of Oswald and his relationship with him a secret just a little longer.

When Ed steps into the room, he finds a sight which he didn’t expect. The closet door was open and stripped of the extra bedding that was stored inside, and the couch cushions were now on the bed where Oswald has built some kind of fort and covered himself inside.  

Edward’s heart sinks to the pit of his stomach. He isn’t quite sure if this was Oswald experimenting with life outside of the water— or if this was a sign that something was seriously wrong with the mermaid being so far from home.

He closes the door, drops his bag on the floor and rushes over to the bed. He knocks the cushions off of the mattress and pulls up the mountain of blankets Oswald had buried himself in. He finds the man curled up underneath, his body shivering and his hair stuck to his face drenched in sweat.

“Oswald,” Edward cries out frantically, pulling more of the blankets off of Oswald so he could get a clear look at his condition. “Oh, Oswald” He feels his reddened cheek. “You’re burning up… Oswald… Oswald, can you hear me?”

Oswald opens his eyes and slowly nods his head. “Yes, I can h-hear you,” he whispers.

“I’m so sorry I left you. You shouldn’t have been here alone.” He sweeps the long graying hair out of Oswald’s face. “I have to get you home. You can’t stay like this.” He starts to pull Oswald up from the bed. “I have to take you home right now.”

“No,” Oswald softly protests. “I want to st-stay here with you.” Though he was covered in sweat, Oswald felt dry and dehydrated like all the water in his body had been squeezed out of him.

“You can’t stay here any longer. You might die.”

“I d-don’t want to go home.”

“You have no choice.”

“I just n-need water.”

“You need seawater,” Edward says panicked. “I don’t have that.”

“Please, Edward, can you d-do something?” Oswald pleads. “I want to st-stay with you just for t-tonight.”

“Oh, Oswald.” Edward wraps his arms around Oswald and holds him tightly, desperately trying to find a way so Oswald could stay. There isn’t any way that he can bring seawater to the hotel room, but maybe he could make some.

“I have an idea,” Edward says and gently lays Oswald down. “I can make you seawater.”

“You can?”

“Yes, I just need a few things.” He covers Oswald back under the blankets and picks up the hotel phone to call for room service.

Once the phone was answered, Edward asks the clerk what the measurements of the tub in his room were and how much water it held. The clerk obviously had no idea and was confused as to why anyone would want to know that information. Instead of explaining himself, Edward just asked the man to send up five cartons of sea salt from the kitchen, a measuring cup and measuring tape so he can get the dimensions of the tub himself. He quickly hangs up before the clerk could question his request.

Edward then touches Oswald’s cheek again. “Your body feels hot, but do you feel cold?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll make the bath warm to heat you up a bit.” He stands up and rips all the blankets off of the bed then helps Oswald sit up. “We need to take off your clothes. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes,” Oswald answers and unbutton his shirt.

“I’m going to start filling the tub.” Edward dashes into the bathroom and turns on the hot and cold water. He checks the temperature before going back to help Oswald.

Oswald has successfully taken off his shirt and Edward helps him with the pants. He now sits on the edge of the bed in only the underwear Ed bought him during their little shopping spree.

When Edward hears the knock at the door, he drapes a sheet around Oswald’s body and opens the door.

The room service person was polite as they handed Edward the tray of items he had requested. Edward rests the tray on the floor and pulls out his wallet to tip the server. They smile and wishes Edward a goodnight before promptly leaving the room.

“I have to do a little math—“ Edward picks up the tray and turns to Oswald— “but you’ll have your seawater soon.”

“I’m lucky th-that you’re so smart.” Oswald wraps the sheet tighter around himself.

Edward smiles as he walks past the bed and into the bathroom. “You’re lucky that I’ll do anything for you—“ sits the tray on the toilet seat— “and that I haven’t gained the ability to tell you no.”

Chuckling softly, Oswald turns his body to watch Edward work.

Edward takes the measuring tape and measures how wide and long the tub was. “Thirty inches wide and sixty inches in length,” he says to himself as he measures the depth. “And fifteen inches deep.” He estimates that the tub could probably hold eighty to one hundred gallons of water. With a gallon of seawater containing four ounces of salt, he now knows how much salt is needed. “I think I have enough salt here. When you get in and you think it needs more just let me know and I’ll order some.

“Okay,” Oswald agrees.

Edward turns off the running water and starts to add in the salt, swirling the water with his hand to help it dissolve. When he can no longer feel the grains of salt on the bottom of the tub, Edward goes to help Oswald up from the bed.

Oswald leans heavily against Edward and he slowly hobbles into the bathroom. “What if m-my tail comes back?”

“It will be okay,” Edward assures him. “No one else is coming in this room. So it’s perfectly safe if that happens.”

“Okay.” Oswald slowly starts to climb in the tub.

“Oh, wait.” Edward stops him before he sits down. “You might want to take your underwear off. You might rip them if your tail does come back.”

“Alright.” The merman pulls down the boxer briefs.

“Wait!” Edward stops him again and takes off his glasses to cover his eyes with his right hand. He shuffles blindfold to the towel rack and counts his steps to hand the towel to Oswald.

As much as Ed would like to see Oswald’s gorgeous body completely bare, they did agree back at the lab not to see each other naked yet.

“Now you can take off the underwear, then wrap this around your waist and sit in the tub.”

Oswald takes the towel and follows Edward’s directions. He drops the boxer briefs on the floor and drapes the towel around his hips. “You can look now,” he says once he was sitting and splashes water on his face.

Edward puts his glasses back on and smiles as he sits on the floor next to the tub. “Having fun already?

“I love the water.”

“I know you do,” Edward chuckles. He picks up the measuring cup from the tray, fills it with the bath water and slowly pours it over Oswald’s head. “How does that feel?... Soothing?”

“Yes. I’m st-starting to feel like myself.”

“Good!” Edward says relieved. He can see the physical changes happening already. Oswald’s skin is going back to its natural glow and he’s stopped shivering. “Does it feel like you’re sitting in ocean water?”

“Yes, but th-there’s a lot less kelp though.”

Edward’s face lights up with a smile, pleased to be getting back the adorable merman that has stolen his heart. “I don’t think the hotel has any kelp on hand.”

“Th-that’s okay. I like it without the kelp.”

He leans over the tub and plants an endearing kiss on Oswald’s lips.

Oswald sighs blissfully, cupping the nape of Ed’s neck.

“I thought you were going to die,” he spoke softly, nipping sweetly at Oswald’s lip.  

“I’m not dying, Edward.”

“I know, but I thought you were.” He kisses Oswald’s salty lips again and again.

Suddenly, Oswald begins to feel his legs tingling like the sensation one would get when a foot fall asleep. “Edward,” he breathes between kisses. “Something's happening… I think it’s my tail…”

Edward leans back and looks down into the water. Oswald’s vibrant purple scales are beginning to reappear on his skin again. “Fascinating!” He says in awe of the unbelievable sight. “Can I record this for my research?”

The merman nods to agree.

Edward quickly hops up from the floor and gets his cell phone out of the overnight bag, then hurries back to capture as much of Oswald’s transformation as possible.

In almost two minutes time, Oswald was back to being the majestic creature in which he was born. He stretches out to make himself more comfortable— his delicate fin hangs over the brim of the tub.

Edward turns off the camera and slips the phone into his pocket as he stares down into the water, captivated by what has just transpired. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Oswald.” He kneels down and looks Oswald in the eyes. “You are a handsome and attractive man in your human form, but when you’re a merman… when you are your natural self…. you’re magnificently ethereal.”

Oswald smiles. Those have to be the most incredible words this man has said to him. “Why would I ever t-take that the wrong way?”

“I don’t know. I just needed to make sure that you didn’t.” He dips the measuring cup back into the water and pours it over Oswald’s head. Now that everything has calmed, Edward is curious about the way he found Oswald when he entered the room. “Can I ask you about the couch cushions?”

“What about them?”

“Why did you make a nest with them?”

“It w-wasn’t a nest,” Oswald answers. “They just looked s-soft and warm and I thought they c-could help me from being so cold.”

“Oh, well that makes sense.” Edward brushes Oswald’s hair out of his face. “Can I ask you something else?”

“Of c-course you can.”

“How did this start? What was the first sign that made you feel sick?” He needs to know what to watch for so that this never happens again.

“My skin was very d-dry and itchy.”

“Okay.” Edward nods. “I don’t think you should spend no more than several hours on dry land until I make you the tank. You can’t be out all day like this again. Okay?”

Oswald frowned slightly, disappointed that he can’t spend both days and nights with Edward on land. “Alright.”

“I know you don’t like it, but it’s what we have to do.” Edward gently turns Oswald’s face to him. “When I move into my new place and build your tank, we don’t have to worry about this happening again. You’ll be able to get in and out of it yourself whenever you need to.”

Oswald beams when Edward mentions the tank. It’s the one thing that will make sure they could be together longer. “Are you really g-going to get the m-money to make it?”

“I’m definitely going to try,” Edward answers assuringly, pouring more water over Oswald’s head. “After I take you home tomorrow, I have that lunch meeting with the mayor and Dr. Hugo Strange. I don’t know why he’s there, but he doesn’t matter. I’ll tell the mayor about a new project I’m starting— probably something about new farming techniques being developed that could help with the overfishing issue…. Oh!” He suddenly yelped with surprise at his own intelligence. He had no idea what he was going to present for the extra money until this very moment. “That actually isn’t a bad idea. It’s a real problem that we have and I have years and years of data that I’ve already collected. I could type up a report in a few hours and hand that to him. I could say that I need to build custom tanks so that everything I tell him isn’t a lie.”

“D-do you think it will work?”

“It should if I make is really convincing and I can with everything I already have,” Edward says confidently. “I should get started on it while you soak.” He kisses Oswald on the cheek and the mermaid giggles with delight from the sudden affection. Edward then goes to collect his overnight bag, the couch cushions and a couple of pillows and blankets to make a comfortable pallet on the bathroom floor.

Oswald watches as Edward make a cozy space for himself. He’s excited at Edward wants to do his work so close to him. “Can I braid your hair while you m-make the report?”

Edward grins and his cheeks flush with color, as he spreads the sheet out over the couch cushions. What an unexpected request for Oswald to ask. He’s never really had his hair braided before. “I think my hair might be a little short for that.”

“I can really do it,” Oswald insists. He’s spent hours braiding his own hair and the hair of his mermaid acquaintances. “It will g-give me something to do while you work.”

Edward gives Oswald a kiss on the crown of his head before sitting down on the cushions. He rests his back against the side of the tub and takes his laptop out of the overnight bag. “Okay,” he finally gives Oswald an answer. “But you have to take them down too. I can’t wear them to the meeting tomorrow.”

##  ***  
** ***  
** *****

After Edward finished typing up his report, he and Oswald were able to share the bed together after letting out the water in the tub. When Oswald was completely dry, he shed his fin to reveal his human legs once again. It crumpled off of him like a pile of sand and they were able to flush the ash-like remains down the tub.

Edward, of course, recorded the mermaid’s second transformation, which was just as spellbinding as the first.

The next morning, Edward took Oswald back to the beach where they first met and they say their goodbyes for the day. Edward promises to come back an hour before the sun sets to spend more time together and to share the outcome of the lunch meeting.

Oswald was glum about not being able to stay in the hotel room like they originally planned, but he understood Edward’s concerns about leaving him alone again. He was just as scared as Edward when he had fallen ill, but felt relief when Ed was able to come up with a temporary solution. There has never been anything like last night to happened to him and he never wants to experience getting sick from being out of the water too long any time soon. He hopes that Edward is able to get the money to build his special tank so he could have his own little ocean and still be close to the man he’s falling in love with.

##  ***  
** ***  
** *****

As Edward gets dressed for lunch with Mayor Galavan, he decides to text Lucius to let him know of the new project he’ll be pitching that will add more money to their grant. He doesn’t want his ex to be in the dark or feel embarrassed about not knowing beforehand.

> _Me: Hey, Foxy?_
> 
> _My Sexy Foxy: Yes?_

Edward stares at the screen for a moment. He really should change Lucius’ name in his phone since they are no longer together. He goes into the phone book settings and changes it before replying.

> _Me: I need to give you a heads up about something._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: And what would that be?_
> 
> _Me: On top of our other cases, I’ll be pitching one more topic to the mayor. Which will up the amount of money that we’re asking for._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: What?...._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: Why?...._
> 
> _Me: I’ll be doing an agricultural study to develop new techniques for fish farming to help reduce the impact of overfishing._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: Ed… It makes no sense to do that. This is our second meeting with Galavan and you want to ask for more money? We are already in over our heads._
> 
> _Me: I don’t think we are. I worked on a pretty solid report last night._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: …._
> 
> _Me: Are you rolling your eyes?_
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: Yes, because this is insane._
> 
> _Me: This is going to work out for both of us, I promise you that. I owe this to you to get us a little extra money to play with. Let me do this to make up for ruining our first meeting._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: How much more are you asking for?_
> 
> _Me: Twenty._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: That’s forty-thousand dollars, Mr. Nygma!_
> 
> _Me: I know._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: That’s double what he thinks we’re asking for!_
> 
> _Me: I know._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: …._
> 
> _Me: Are you rolling your eyes again?_
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: Yes, but this time it’s for what I’m about to say._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: Send me your report and I’ll edit it for you._
> 
> _Me: You don’t have to do that. I did a pretty nice job on it myself._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: You always go over it fast and miss something. You also have a tendency to make things too scientific. Galavan is a politician, not a marine biologist. Plus, I always edit your work and I’m not planning on stopping that now._
> 
> _Me: You do have a way of making my written words sound more intelligent._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: I know._
> 
> _Me: Okay, I’ll send it over._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: Thank you!_
> 
> _Me: No, no, thank you, Foxy Foxy!_
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: Omg!_
> 
> _Me: ;)_
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: Why did I ever date you?_
> 
> _Me: You liked my brain._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: God, did I ever._
> 
> _Foxy-Foxy: Okay, I have some work to do. So leave me alone._
> 
> _Me: Yes, sir!_

##  ***  
** ***  
** *****

Proper introductions are made when Lucius and Edward arrive at the restaurant for their lunch meeting. Though both men aren’t fond of Dr. Hugo Strange and his history with the studies he’s done on the patients in Arkham Asylum which almost resulted in the loss of his license, Edward and Lucius stay professional and try to keep their personal opinions of the man out of the conversation.

After a bit of small talk over appetizers and white wine, Edward and Lucius present their proposals to Mayor Galavan for the forty-thousand-dollar grant to the Gotham Marine Life Laboratories. He reads over the papers the men have presented to him, carefully going over the list of what the money will be spent on. He thinks it’s important to preserve the life in and around the waters that surround Gotham City which is why he has given these men a second chance to show what they could do to help keep the ocean healthy. He’s a little taken aback by the increase of money the men are asking for, but with the clear outline on where the money is going, he is considering granting their request. There’s just one stipulation that needs to be addressed.

“You men have presented a solid case for yourselves and I trust that you take your work very seriously,” Theo Galavan says, glossing over the papers.

“We do,” Lucius replies. “Edward and I are dedicated to our work. We want to do all we can to preserve the future of marine life.”

“That’s why our workload has increased,” Edward chimes in. “By developing new techniques and technologies for fish farming, we could greatly decrease the overfishing of our oceans— leaving the wildlife to thrive naturally.”

“I’m actually glad you added to your work. Overfishing the oceans is a huge problem. Anything we could do to prevent it from happening is an idea I support.” Galavan picks up his wine glass and takes a sip.

“Thank you, Mr. Mayor,” Edward says pleased.

“Which brings me to why Dr. Strange has joined us this afternoon.” Galavan adds, cutting into the ribeye steak he ordered for lunch. “I trust that you will do your jobs in a timely and professional manner… I just don’t trust you with the taxpayer’s money.”

Edward and Lucius glance at each other, dismayed by the mayor’s accusations.

“Excuse me—“ Lucius looks Galavan in the eyes— “but what could we have done to make you believe that we’ll mishandle the money in any way?”

“With all due respect—“ Edward cuts his eyes at Dr. Strange— “we don’t need a babysitter.”

“You’ve done nothing to make me believe that, Mr. Fox,” Galavan makes clear. “But Mr. Nygma on the other hand has.” He stabs his steak with the fork and places the food into his mouth. He chews for a moment before continuing his explanation. “The way you blatantly forgot about an important meeting that could change the course of your career causes alarm for me. I’m really not a man to give second chances, but Mr. Fox impressed me the other day at the party. I would have given him the grant that night, but he insisted that I’d meet you.”

Edward thinks this is utter bullshit. Why is he still getting punished for one mistake? Who wouldn’t have wanted to spend the day with an enchantingly gorgeous merman?

“I don’t know how many times I can apologize for that.” The first thing Ed did before sitting at this table was apologize for not showing up at the party. “I’m really not a forgetful man.”

“You probably aren’t, but I’ve already made my decision,” Galavan announces. “I’m giving you the forty-thousand-dollar grant, but Dr. Strange will oversee your projects and report your progress back to me. I needed a man of science for the job and Dr. Strange is one that I trust.”

“It really is in your best interest that I’m going to be involved with your work,” Dr. Strange expresses, complacently, swirling his wine in the glass. “You could really benefit from a man of my caliber and skill.”

Edward’s blood begins to boil, cheeks burning red hot with fury. How could this man be so smug after the things he’s been accused of? “Does your skill involve experimenting on the criminally insane?” He snaps. “Because the last time I checked…”

“Eddie, no.” Lucius puts his hand on Edward’s thigh, squeezing him firmly. Now isn’t the time or place to get emotionally furious. They did ultimately get what they wanted, though not with the most pleasant contentions.

“It’s fine. I’m used to a bit of lashing out.” Strange nonchalantly drinks his wine. “As you very well know, I was acquitted of any malpractice or criminal activity and my license is secured. Whatever you think you know about the events at Arkham are inconclusive.”

“There was a mountain of evidence, but you destroyed it. Your work wasn’t experimental, it was downright torture of the mentally ill,” Edward barks and glares back at Galavan. “This is the man you trust more than us?”

“Yes, he is,” the mayor says, matter of fact. “And if you want this money you will work with him.”

“We do and we will,” Lucius says quickly before Edward could make another remark. He extends his hand to shake the mayor’s, then, regrettably shakes the hand of Strange. “Thank you for giving us this opportunity.” He stands and takes Edward by the hand. “We’ll be in touch.” He pulls Edward’s arm to make him stand up and they walk out of the restaurant together.

Outside of the restaurant, Edward takes a deep breath and sighs out. “I’m sorry, Foxy, but that man rubs me the wrong way.”

“It’s fine, Edward. I just had to get us both out of there before we made Galavan change his mind… If you didn’t say anything, I would have. Just not as emotionally as you,” Lucius chuckles. “I hated sitting next to Strange. He gives me the creeps. His cologne smells like something a vampire would use, reeking of death.”

“Now we have to keep seeing that smug face all the time.” Edward cringes in disgust. “He’s going to ruin our work and our reputations. We can’t be associated with him.”

“He won’t ruin us because we won’t let him,” he assures Edward. “We just have to try to keep him from touching anything important. Besides, I think he’s just supposed to supervise how we spend the money.”

“I hope it is that.”

“I really think so,” Lucius echoes and steps closer to Edward with a smile gracing his face. “On a brighter note, we did get the money.” He wraps his arms around Edward, hugging him dearly. “Every single cent of it.”

“We did—“ Edward holds Lucius tightly, burying his face in the man’s warm neck— “and I have you to thank for that.”

Since he is getting punished for missing the first meeting and ruining a good first impression with the mayor, Edward is glad that Lucius was able to secure their future on his own.

“I don’t care what Galavan says or thinks. We did this together, Ed.” He pulls out of their embrace. “We finally get a chance to make a real difference like we always wanted.”

“We really do,” Edward says softly and flashes a crooked smile. It was nice to see Lucius so happy and looking forward to the future. “I’m glad I get to do this with you. There’s no other man in the world that I rather work with. I’m lucky to call you my partner.”

Lucius beams and gives Edward another hug. “I’m lucky too.”  

They hold each other, probably a little longer than they should have before Edward suddenly breaks their connection. Things could quickly turn awkward with all the emotion and adrenaline rushing through them. They’d normally celebrate a milestone like this by fucking each other unconscious.

Edward clears his throat, combing his fingers through his hair as he takes a step back from Lucius. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“Well—“ Lucius licks his lips— “since you promised this was going to work out for us, I made plans to celebrate with Jim and Harvey later. You should join us.”

Though he was pleased to learn that Lucius believed in both of them so much that he already made plans to celebrate, Edward couldn’t take him up on the offer to join. “Oh, no, that’s okay. I think Jim is still mad at me for naming that crab after him. That man could have a real stick up his ass sometimes.”

Lucius snickers. He can’t deny that the statement isn’t true. “Alright then… I hope you’re not being antisocial because we’re not dating anymore.”

“No, no. It’s not that.” Edward is far from being antisocial. He’ll be spending time with a mermaid later, but he can’t tell Lucius about that yet. “I just have something to do myself. I found an apartment. So I need to sign the lease and all of that. It still has a running water issue and they don’t want me to move in until it’s fixed. That will probably be next week.”

“Oh, that’s good that you were able to find something so quickly,” Lucius says genuinely.

“It’s one of the loft apartments on Grundy Street. They’re always vacant.”

“You always liked that place. I’m happy you get to live there.”

“Thank you.” Edward nods gratefully.  “I might come by your place while you’re out tonight and pack up some of my stuff. It can just sit in the hotel with me.

Lucius frowns slightly, brows furrowing. “You don’t have to wait for me to leave to do that.”

“I know… I kinda want to do it alone, at least for now,” Edward explains. Though he found comfort and companionship with Oswald, the break up with Lucius still weighs heavily on his heart. “It’s still emotional for me and if you’re still there… I just— I don’t know. I might not be able to do it. I don’t want the opposite of last night to happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“Instead of us arguing, we end crying in each other’s arms. I don’t think I can handle that right now, especially after what happened today.

“Oh, okay… I— I understand.” Lucius slowly nods.

He knows exactly what Ed means by that now. He cried last night after Edward left with the overnight bag. Little does Lucius know is that Edward also cried on his commute back to the hotel. Ed was going to hide his tears from Oswald, but then he walked into the frightening scene of Oswald being sick.

“Just let me know before you come by, Ed.”

“I will,” he agrees, blinking back tears.

“Okay.” Lucius smiles, masking the water misting in his eyes, and takes his car keys out his pocket. “Well, I'll see you later.”

“I’ll see you later too, Foxy.”

##  ***  
** ***  
** *****

After signing the lease for his new apartment, Edward had stopped to pick himself up something to eat since the meeting at lunch left him without an appetite after learning that he was to work nearly side by side with the infamous Dr. Strange. This unexpected curveball will definitely put a bit of strain on Edward’s plan to build Oswald’s aquarium. However, he doesn’t think this will change much since it was well documented in the reports he handed to the mayor that they will be building new tanks for the agricultural study. The most that Strange could do is slow down the presses since the kind of aquarium he’s going to build for Oswald will be far more elaborate and expensive than any tanks he’s ever made before. So he has to be careful to have the materials for Oswald’s tank sent to his loft and not to the lab.

Edward also makes a stop at the lab to fish out one of his octopus specimens to give as a gift to Oswald this evening. He thought Oswald would appreciate the tasty treat more than a bouquet of flowers.

It’s an hour before the sun is to set and Edward arrives at the beach where he had left his mermaid companion earlier this morning. He came just in time to witness Oswald breach the water and follow the waves up to the beach. Edward stares in awe. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the sight or even the idea that this stunning creature only comes to shore for him.

“Oswald!” He says excitedly as he runs to the shoreline to meet with the merman.

Oswald sits up and slaps his tail in the water, thrilled to see Edward again. “You c-came back!”

“Of course I did.” Though Edward is wearing one of his more expensive suits, he sits down in the water next to Oswald. “I would never tell you that I’m coming if I’m not.”

“I knew you would. I’m j-just so happy to see you again.” He quickly grabs Edward’s face and pulls Ed into him to kiss him firmly.

Edward gasps in surprise when their lips touched so suddenly, but he quickly relaxes to savor the merman’s loving embrace. “Mmm…” he hums, dropping the octopus bag into the water.

Oswald wraps his arms around Edward’s neck, deepening their kiss by flicking his tongue inside of the human’s mouth the same way Ed had done to him before. He liked this new way Edward has shown him to express his passion for him.

Ed’s eyes widen when Oswald slips his tongue inside. He hadn’t expected that or for there to be this much. He kindly pushes Oswald back to give himself room to breathe. “That was—“ he pants— “interesting.”

“I m-missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Edward replies and snatches up the bag before it floats away. “I brought you something.” Hands the bag to Oswald.  

“Oh, th-thank you,” he says gratefully and peeks inside. “I th-thought I was smelling octopus!”

“Yes, you were!”

Oswald hugs Edward, thanking him for the gift. “I’ve just eaten something, b-but I’ll definitely have this later.”

“There no rush.” Edward gently pulls out of Oswald’s sweet embrace. “You eat that whenever you want.”

“Thank you,” Oswald says, cheeks blooming pink with bliss.

“You’re welcome.” Edward scoots closer to Oswald and wraps his arm around the merman’s shoulders. “Tell me about your day.”

“My day?” Oswald lays his head on Edward’s shoulder. “Well, I’m m-more interested in yours.”

“But I’m more interested in yours.” Edward playfully boops Oswald’s nose and cause the merman to giggle. “Plus, I asked you first, so you have to tell me first.”

“Okay,” Oswald says, still softly giggling. “Th-though there isn’t much to tell.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Edward assures him and kisses the crown of his head. “I want to hear it anyway.”

“I went h-home and I slept a little m-more.”

“Where do you live?” Edward curiously asks. “I don’t think I’ve ever asked you that.”

Oswald sits up from Edward’s shoulder. “I live in a shipwreck!” He says with spiritedly, slapping his fin in the water.

“Oh, a shipwreck?” Edward gasps, eyes sparkling in awe. Oswald’s homes must be absolutely enchanting and filled with so much history. He wonders if it’s a modern ship or something much older. “I would love you see your home someday.”

“I d-don’t think you can.” Oswald frowns.  “It’s far to d-deep for a human to swim.”

“Hmm…” He turns his head away in thought for a moment, then looks back at Oswald when he has the perfect solution. “We have scuba gear at the lab. I could scuba dive with you sometime and you can show it to me.”

“Is th-that when you swim with a giant tank on your back?”

“Mhm.” Edward nods. “The tank is full of air so I can stay under longer.”

“That sounds like fun.” Oswald suddenly hugs Edward tightly. “When are we g-going to do it?”

Edward laughs, wrapping his arms around Oswald. “We can this weekend when I’m not busy.”

“That sounds perfect!”

“Good! Then it’s a date.” He kisses Oswald’s cheeks, again and again, making the merman blush and giggle. He’s addicted the to sound of his laughter.  It’s the purest sound he’s ever heard.

“Edddwarrd!” Oswald long-sang his name. “My stomach hurts from laughing.”

Edward kisses him a little longer before finally stopping. “Okay, I’m done. I just can’t get enough of your adorable giggle. It’s unlike anything else.” He wraps his arm around Oswald’s shoulders again. “You can finish telling me about the rest of your day.”

After settling his laughter, Oswald snuggled underneath Edward. “Well, I swam most of the d-day looking for the b-best shells for what I’m making for you.”

“You’re making me something else?”

“Mhm… b-but I’m not telling you what it is.”

“You’re lucky that I like surprises.” Edward takes Oswald’s hand and kisses it. “Tell me more.”

Oswald shares with Edward about his day. Which included swimming along the sides of fishing boats, meeting up with an old friend who he couldn’t keep his new found relationship from. He tells her that he found a potential mate, but he doesn’t mention that Edward is a human or anything that they’ve done outside of the ocean together. He doesn’t want the community to be buzzing about a merman and human relationship. Aside from all of that, Oswald tells Edward of his hunting session and how he was able to catch and eat a rare fish which he didn’t know the name of, but it tasted delicious.

“It sounds like you had a good day,” Edward says, sweeping Oswald’s long, graying hair over his shoulder. “Your life seems so carefree. It beautiful. I’m glad you have that. Though I can’t help but feel a little envious of it.”

“Your life’s c-carefree too. You get a big new apartment. You’re a scientist who gets to work with your b-best friend. You sh-shouldn’t be envious about my life. I’m just a fish. There’s so m-much more in your world.”

“Don’t say that about yourself, Oswald. Your more than just a fish. You’re a smart complex being with emotions and desires. You’re passionate and your willingness to learn about the world around you is impeccable. You’re a beautiful, beautiful, mermaid who has a human that cares about him deeply.”  He places a loving kiss on Oswald’s cheek. “I didn’t mean to be envious of you. I’m sorry,” he apologizes wholeheartedly. “I guess I’m just a little stressed.”

“What’s wrong?” Oswald asks, curiously tipping his head to the right. “Why are you stressed?”

Edward sighs and rests his head on Oswald’s shoulder. “Today was a good day. Lucius and I got the grant for the lab. I’ll be able to build your tank, but there’s someone that’s going to make that a little difficult.”

“Lucius?”

“No, no it’s not him. Foxy isn’t like that,” Edward clarifies. “It’s this pain in the ass named Dr. Hugo Strange. The mayor gave us the money but Dr. Strange is to oversee how we spend it. I made sure to give the mayor a list of the things we're going to buy, so he does know I’m buying materials for tanks. It’s just that Strange might see something in the bookkeeping that doesn’t add up. With just one hint of suspicion, he can stop our money from coming in.”

“So he’s g-going to watch what you do?”

“Yes, but I'm not going to let that stop me,” Edward says boastfully. “I promised you a tank. I got the extra money to build your tank and you’re going to get it.”

“Oh, Edward.” Oswald hugs him, even wrapping his tail around Edward’s legs.  “You d-don’t have to feel stressed about that. I know you can do it.”

Edward smiles, feeling so snug and warm with Oswald wrapped all around him. “That means a lot coming from you. You’re so encouraging, Oswald. You always lift my spirits.”

“That’s all I want to do for you.”

“And you’re an expert at it.”

“Good!” This time, it was Oswald’s turn to pepper Edward blushing cheeks with kisses.

“Your lips are always salty,” Edward chuckles, smiling ear to ear. “I love it.”

Oswald kisses him over and over, making sure no inch of his face was untouched by his lips. “Since I spent all d-day at home,” he murmurs on Edward’s skin. “Can I spend the night with you?”

Edward gently lifts Oswald’s head and looks him in the eyes. “I would say yes if I didn’t make plans to go to Lucius’ place to pack up some of my stuff. So I’ll be very busy with that tonight.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Please don’t be upset, Oswald. I…”

“No, no,” he cuts off Edward’s statement. “I’m not upset at all, I promise. I know understand th-that our relationship will have a lot of separation between us. I c-can’t live on the land forever and you can’t live in the ocean. I’m preparing m-myself for the times we can’t be together.”

“The tank will help you stay on land longer.”

“I know, b-but I can’t live in it. I still need the openness of the ocean.”

“I knew you’d still need to come back to the ocean.” Edward nods, combing his fingers through Oswald’s hair. “I’m just so glad you said it.” He kisses Oswald tenderly, twisting a finger in his hair. “How about you spend the night with me the day I go scuba diving.”

“I’d love that.” As they continue to kiss, Oswald slowly starts to lay Edward down into the water.

“Wait… Wait.” Edward suddenly stops him and sits back up. “I know you wanna make out.”

Oswald’s nods enthusiastically.

“There’s just one more important thing that we need to talk about.”

“What is it?” Oswald asks.

“I was wondering if I could give you a tracker to wear.”

“A tracker?” He squints his eyes at Ed.

“It’s a necklace that you can wear. It will have a little device in the ornament that will send me information about you. Like where you go underwater, how deep you swim, and your heart rate. It will also have a little light that I will have the controls of that will let you know that I’m waiting for you on the beach. That’s really the main reason I want you to wear it. The tracking stuff is just extra and I’ll disable the tracker after a week. I think a weeks worth a data will be enough for me to study.”

“Hmmm,” Oswald hums. He has to take into consideration the other mermaids who might not want a human to know of their locations. “I’ll have to th-think about that one, but I do like the idea of the light.”

“That’s alright.” Edward nods in understanding. Oswald has given him so much data already. If he wants to slow down for a bit it wouldn’t bother Edward at all. “It’s your decision and whatever you choose I’ll respect.”

“Thank you, Edward.”

“No, thank you! You’ve been very patient and helpful with my study of you.”

“Well, you’re welcome!” Oswald says proudly with a smile.

Edward leans into him, eyes glistening from the sun setting behind the horizon. “You ready for that make out session now?”

“Oh, yes, please!” Oswald’s pudgy round cheek flush with the color of passion.

Edward growls before bouncing on the merman, laying him down into rolling tide.

“Oh, Ed!” Oswald moans, eagerly splashing his fin in the water.


End file.
